Putin assures that the war in Ukraine will continue until Russia achieves its objectives

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, reiterated this Thursday the difficulties that Ukraine is experiencing in ensuring the continuity of military and economic assistance from the United States and has distanced himself from the possibility of opening negotiations to end the war, saying making sure you keep fighting until you reach your goals.

“Peace will come when Russia achieves its objectives,” the Kremlin head said at his traditional year-end press conference, in which he also assured that this is still what Moscow stated to justify the invasion: forcing Ukraine to “ demilitarization”, “denazification” and a “neutral status”.

The Russian president has implicitly alluded to the United States’ hesitations in continuing to support Kiev, and has referred to the situation in which this dependence on foreign countries places Ukraine: Today, Ukraine produces almost nothing (…) They bring everything from outside , free. But this bargain may end one day. And apparently it’s coming to an end.”

Putin has also boasted of the “strength and stability” with which the Russian economy has resisted Western sanctions and insisted on describing Ukraine’s “major counter-offensive” this summer as a failure: “It achieved nothing.”

Ukraine looks to Brussels

In Kiev, the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks to Brussels on Thursday, awaiting the decision of the Twenty-Seven on opening accession negotiations with Ukraine, recommended by the European Commission (EC).

To open this new chapter on its path to the EU, Ukraine needs the Twenty-Seven to vote unanimously in favor. The biggest obstacle, however, appears to be Hungarian Prime Minister Víktor Orbán, who today reaffirmed his position despite the attempts of several European leaders to convince him to give up the veto.

Hungary could also veto the €50 billion in aid to Ukraine proposed by the Commission for the period 2023-2027.