Putin Claims Strategic Edge in Ukraine as Peace Talks Remain Stalled
Speaking at a live-televised meeting from the Kremlin, Putin insisted that Ukrainian forces are powerless to reverse Russian battlefield gains and have been driven to "terrorist methods" in response.
"Our troops maintain a strategic advantage, confidently advancing, and no amount of shelling or drone strikes will change this situation," he said.
Putin pointed to sweeping territorial claims to back his assertions. On June 4, he stated that Russia had established full control over Ukraine's Luhansk region while controlling more than 85% of the Donetsk region and approximately 80% of the Zaporizhzhia region. He further claimed that Russian forces had recently seized roughly 2,440 square kilometers (942 square miles) of additional territory and were pressing forward along the entire front line.
Kyiv, however, contests that picture. On Monday, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated in a Telegram post that Ukrainian forces had reclaimed more than 600 square kilometers (232 square miles) of territory since the start of the year, adding that troops had retaken nearly 100 square kilometers (39 square miles) more this month than they had conceded.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war have meanwhile ground to a halt. US-mediated peace talks stalled following the outbreak of US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, leaving the path to a negotiated settlement deeply uncertain.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for direct talks with Putin and signaled Kyiv's willingness to observe a ceasefire during any negotiations. Putin, however, flatly dismissed the proposal, saying he sees "no sense" in meeting Zelenskyy and arguing that previous rounds of direct talks have yielded no tangible results.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
