On December 19 (Moscow time), President Putin gave his annual press interview. During the interview, which lasted more than 4 hours, the Ukraine conflict became a frequently mentioned topic.
The scene of a building in Kyiv hit by a Russian missile in November.
From the conditions for Ukraine
Specifically, Mr. Putin still emphasized Russia's "success" in the Ukraine conflict. He explained that before launching a military campaign against Ukraine in February 2022, Russia was in danger of losing its independence, but now this problem has been resolved.
However, Mr. Putin said he was ready to meet with US President-elect Donald Trump to discuss a number of issues, including peace negotiations with Ukraine. However, the Kremlin leader stressed that he would not accept any preconditions from Kyiv to sit at the negotiating table. For a long time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made Moscow's return of occupied Ukrainian lands a precondition for negotiations.
It was not until November 29, in an interview with Sky News, that President Zelensky said that if he could join NATO, so that the alliance could protect the lands that Ukraine still holds, Kyiv could reach an agreement on a ceasefire. This is considered that Kyiv has agreed to give up the preconditions before moving forward with negotiations, opening up the opportunity for both sides to negotiate peace.
However, in the interview, Mr. Putin set a new condition for the negotiation agreement if reached. Specifically, he emphasized that Russia would only sign an agreement with a "legitimate government" of Ukraine. This condition implies that Moscow does not recognize President Zelensky's government. In fact, President Zelensky's term should have ended, but he delayed the election due to the ongoing conflict. Therefore, the condition that the Kremlin owner put forward can be understood as Ukraine must hold elections and Russia accepts the election results as "valid".
Thus, the process of reaching a ceasefire agreement may be difficult even if Moscow and Kyiv sit down at the negotiating table.
To challenge the West
Also in the interview, President Putin mentioned the Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) and said that the West is not capable of intercepting this IRBM. The Oreshnik missile has a range of 3,000 - 5,500 km with a speed of Mach 10 (10 times the speed of sound) and can carry a nuclear warhead.
"The West could set a target, say in Kyiv, and concentrate its entire air defense system there. We would launch Oreshniks there and see what happens," Putin suggested.
In late November 2024, after receiving permission from the US to use long-range weapons provided by Washington to attack Russian territory, Kyiv launched several ATACMS missiles at Russia. But then Moscow responded by launching Oreshnik to attack Ukraine. It was the first time Russia used hypersonic IRBMs to attack Ukraine since the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict.
Responding to Thanh Nien , assessing Russia's move, a US military intelligence expert said: "This is Moscow's escalatory response to Kyiv's deep-range attack on Russia. It's like a warship firing at the enemy's bow as a warning. It's a warning that the enemy must not repeat any similar behavior, otherwise the next shot could cause greater damage." Because the Oreshnik missile can carry a nuclear warhead, Russia's launch of this type of missile also implies a nuclear attack.
Furthermore, Moscow's move is also aimed at deterring NATO members in the region.
Portugal condemns Russian attacks in Kyiv
Yesterday (December 20), Reuters reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden is about to announce the final arms package under his tenure for Ukraine. This package will be funded from the remaining funds in the approved aid plan to buy new weapons for Ukraine. Worth about $1.2 billion, this package includes air defense interceptors and artillery shells, but the detailed list will have to wait for an official announcement.
Also yesterday, The Guardian quoted Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel as saying: "There was a very violent attack by Russia on Kyiv, and the attack caused material damage to the diplomatic facilities of several countries, including the Portuguese Embassy in Kyiv." Thereby, Mr. Rangel criticized Moscow: "It is absolutely unacceptable to attack and damage or target diplomatic facilities."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/the-kho-cho-hoa-dam-giai-quyet-xung-dot-ukraine-185241220230436723.htm
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