Peace Possible Only If Ukraine Drops NATO Bid: Putin

• By Thetripurapost Web Desk, Moscow
• Dec 19, 2025
• 569

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday reiterated his stance on the Ukraine war, saying Moscow is ready to end the conflict through peaceful means, but only if Ukraine abandons its plans to join NATO.

Speaking during his annual online press conference, Putin said peace would come only on the conditions he outlined earlier, including Ukraine withdrawing its forces from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He maintained that Russian troops are advancing along the front line and claimed several towns and villages are close to coming under Russian control—claims disputed by Ukraine.

Addressing the issue of the European Union’s move to seize frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, Putin accused the bloc of committing “robbery, not theft.” He said theft is usually carried out secretly, whereas this action is being done openly. Putin warned that such measures would have serious consequences and ultimately burden the budgets of EU member states. He added that Russia would reclaim its assets.

This was Putin’s 22nd annual dialogue with the public and the media, during which he answered questions on domestic governance and major challenges facing Russia in 2025. According to officials, call centres set up for the event received more than 2.49 million questions over the past two weeks.