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MOSCOW, June 14 (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday alternated threats of a new Russian offensive to seize more Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin’s readiness for peace talks.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Russian military journalists and war bloggers, he made some of the widest comments on the conflict and his goals since sending troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago.
Here are some of Putin’s key statements:
Ukraine’s counteroffensive
Putin asserted that Ukraine suffered “catastrophic” losses in the counteroffensive.
He said the Ukrainian army had assembled reserves to launch a “massive” operation on June 4, but claimed that the effort had failed to bear fruit and that Ukraine had lost 10 times as many soldiers as Russia. His claims could not be verified.
Putin claimed that Ukraine lost 160 main battle tanks and more than 300 other armored vehicles, while Russia lost only 54 tanks. He claimed that Ukrainian armor losses accounted for 25-30% of the number of Western armored vehicles supplied to Ukraine.
He pointed out with a smirk that the German-made Panther tanks and American-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles “burn very well,” adding that Kiev’s leaders must now realize the disastrous consequences of a counteroffensive.
Think New Land Gains
Putin said Moscow could prevent such an attack from Kiev by drawing out what he called a “sanitary zone” in response to Ukraine’s alleged incursions and shelling of Russia’s border areas.
He added that the area would “extend to a depth to prevent it from hitting our territory”.
Asked how far Russia could go into Ukraine, Putin replied ambiguously that “everything will depend on the potential that emerges after the so-called counteroffensive”.
“We will review the situation and decide on the next steps,” he said. “We have different plans depending on the situation.”
He referred to Russian troops “already around Kiev,” referring to the Kremlin’s failed attempt to take the Ukrainian capital in the early weeks of the conflict.
Russian forces withdrew from the area around Kiev and other parts of northeastern Ukraine in March 2022, and hastily withdrew from large swathes of the Kharkov region in the fall under the onslaught of a swift Ukrainian counteroffensive.
“Should we return or not?” Putin added cryptically: “Only I can give the answer.”
KAKHOVKA dam failure
Putin again blamed Ukraine for sabotaging the Kakhovka Dam, which caused the catastrophic flooding, saying Ukrainian troops repeatedly bombarded the dam with HIMARS rockets before apparently using explosives to destroy it.
He argued that Russia had no reason to destroy the dam. “We’re certainly not interested in that because it has serious consequences for the territories we control,” he said.
Putin dismissed Ukrainian claims that Moscow had blown up the dam to thwart a Kiev counteroffensive, saying Russia would be happy to see Ukraine attempt an attack in the region because the odds were high.
peace talks
The Russian leader said it was up to the United States to end hostilities in Ukraine. He argued that if the United States and NATO stopped supplying Ukraine with weapons, the fighting would end immediately.
“If they want to see a negotiated solution to the conflict, it is enough for them to stop the supply of arms,” he said.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators drafted a peace deal in March 2022, but Kiev stepped up the deal under Western pressure, Putin said. He said Russia remained open to resuming talks.
The U.S. wants to see Russia defeated, he said, and pins its hopes on a Ukrainian counteroffensive. At the same time, Putin argued that in the US government, “there are a lot of reasonable people who don’t want to drag it all the way to a third world war with no winners”.
new mobilization
Putin, who ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reservists last fall as Russia faced a counteroffensive in Ukraine, did not rule out a new wave of mobilization, saying it would depend on the changing military situation.
But he stressed that it was not necessary now. Putin pointed out that the military has recruited 156,000 volunteer soldiers so far this year, so there is no need to recruit more reservists.
He also noted that he did not see the need for martial law, as suggested by some Russian hawks.
Putin pointed out that Russia’s military production has increased significantly. He said that the output value of Russia’s defense industry has increased by 2.7 times in the past year, and even increased by 10 times in some key areas.
food trade
Putin said Moscow was considering terminating its participation in the agreement to allow exports of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports.
Putin accused the West of failing to live up to his pledge to boost Russian agricultural exports by removing restrictions on shipping, insurance and banking that were part of a July 2022 deal between Turkey and the United Nations.
He claimed that Ukraine had also used the sea corridors established under the agreement for merchant ships to launch drone strikes against Russian naval vessels.
Putin has argued that Russia signed the agreement and extended it several times to help some of the world’s poorest countries.
He noted that if Moscow decides to withdraw from the agreement, it will provide the countries with the same amount of food that Ukraine delivered under the agreement for free. He said he plans to discuss the plans with the leaders of several African countries who will soon visit the Russian capital. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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