BOMBSHELL from the Kremlin: On December 17, 2025, Vladimir Putin declared that Russia’s war goals in Ukraine will “certainly” be achieved — and Moscow is ready to seize even more territory by military force if diplomacy collapses. As Trump’s envoys push desperate peace talks, Putin shows zero signs of compromise, vowing to expand Russia’s grip unless Kyiv and the West bow to his demands. Source: Reuters
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Russian President Vladimir Putin dropped a terrifying warning on Wednesday: Moscow will “certainly” achieve its goals in the nearly four-year offensive in Ukraine — including seizing every inch of the territories it claims as its own.
“The goals of the special military operation will certainly be achieved,” Putin told a high-level meeting with defense ministry officials in Moscow, using the Kremlin’s cold euphemism for the brutal war.
In a hawkish flex that sent shockwaves through global capitals, he added: “We would prefer to do this and eliminate the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy.” But then came the gut punch — Putin vowed to take the annexed Ukrainian lands “by military means” if “the opposing country and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions.”
The chilling remarks landed just as Ukraine reported “progress” in Berlin talks with Donald Trump’s envoys on future security guarantees. Yet President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted massive differences remain — especially over which territories Kyiv would be forced to surrender to Russia.
Washington’s initial proposal, drafted without European input, reportedly demanded Ukraine withdraw from the entire Donetsk region and effectively recognize Russian control over Donetsk, Crimea, and Lugansk. The revised plan’s details remain shrouded in secrecy.
The Kremlin confirmed it’s still waiting for Washington to brief them on the Berlin outcome. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We expect that, as soon as they are ready, our American counterparts will inform us of the results of their work with the Ukrainians and the Europeans.”
Russia illegally claimed annexation of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Lugansk, and Kherson regions in September 2022 — despite lacking full control over all of them. Putin’s latest threat makes clear: He’s ready to finish the job by force if the West and Kyiv don’t capitulate.
AFP reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Moscow would “certainly” achieve its goals in the offensive in Ukraine, including seizing the territories it claims are its own, amid a flurry of international diplomacy to end the war.
“The goals of the special military operation will certainly be achieved,” Putin told a meeting with defence ministry officials in Moscow, using the Kremlin’s wording for the nearly four-year offensive.
“We would prefer to do this and eliminate the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy,” he said, vowing to seize the Ukrainian lands Russia claims to have annexed “by military means” if “the opposing country and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions.”
His hawkish comments come as Ukraine on Monday hailed “progress” made on the question of future security guarantees for Kyiv, after two days of talks with US President Donald Trump’s envoys in Berlin.
But according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, differences remain on the question of what territories Ukraine would have to cede to Russia.
Washington’s initial proposal — drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies — would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognise the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions as Russian.
The current contents of the revised plan remain unclear.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Kremlin said Russia was waiting for information from the US on the outcome of the talks in Berlin.
“We expect that, as soon as they are ready, our American counterparts will inform us of the results of their work with the Ukrainians and the Europeans,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
In September 2022, Russia claimed to have officially annexed the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson regions, even though it did not have full military control over all of them.