Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday once again made sweeping claims of territorial gains on the eve of a crunch meeting between US President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky and threatened to achieve Moscow’s goals “using armed force.”
The Kremlin said Putin had visited a command post of the Russian army, where he received briefings from the chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, and commanders of the “Centre” and “East” groups of Russian forces.
Russian commanders told Putin that Moscow’s forces had captured the towns of Myrnohrad, Rodynske and Artemivka in the Donetsk region, as well as Hulyaipole and Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to Russian state media and the Kremlin.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces denied the unverified claims on Dec. 27, writing on Facebook: “The top political leadership of the aggressor state is once again resorting to spreading fake statements about significant ‘successes’ of the Russian army on the battlefield.”
It described the situation in Huliaipole and Myrnohrad as “difficult” but said defensive operations are ongoing, adding: “It is obvious that the Russians’ lies are primarily aimed at foreign partners and have become significantly more active precisely during peace negotiations.”
The purported Russian advances were also not confirmed by independent analysts.
“We will resolve challenges using armed force”
Saturday marked Putin’s sixth claimed visit to a command post, and his fourth in uniform, since October.
Speaking during the televised visit, the Russian president repeated familiar rhetoric casting Kyiv as the aggressor in Russia’s war and claiming that Moscow is “trying to finish” the fighting.
Putin also restated his maximalist aims, including seeking control over Ukraine’s entire Donbas region, signaling Moscow’s unwillingness to compromise.
“Now we see that intelligent people have also appeared in the West who are recommending that the Kyiv authorities accept decent terms for ending the conflict and are offering good basic conditions for ensuring Ukraine’s long-term security, conditions for restoring relations with the Russian Federation, and restoring Ukraine’s economy,” Putin said.
He accused Kyiv’s leadership of being “in no hurry to resolve this conflict peacefully,” before saying that Russia is satisfied with the rate of its advances and claiming that Moscow’s interest in a voluntary Ukrainian withdrawal “has essentially been reduced to zero.”
“If the Kyiv authorities are unwilling to settle the matter peacefully, we will resolve all the challenges facing us… using armed force,” Putin finished.
It is not the first time Russian authorities have proclaimed battlefield advances immediately prior to negotiations. Gerasimov in November claimed in a televised report that Kremlin forces had captured Kupyansk, before the spurious claim was debunked as Zelensky visited the city in December.
The Kremlin also claimed last month that Russia has seized Pokrovsk, a claim that has been disputed both by Ukraine and independent analysts.
The remarks came as Zelensky prepared to meet Trump in Florida on Sunday to finalize a plan to end the war.
The Ukrainian president said on Saturday he intends to raise the future of the Donbas region during talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, along with the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and other issues.
Zelensky told Axios on Friday that he hopes to soften a US proposal for a full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas. He also said that the entire 20-point plan that has been developed by US and Ukrainian officials should be put to a national referendum.
Axios reported that US officials perceived Zelensky’s willingness to hold a referendum as a breakthrough, signaling he may no longer be ruling out territorial concessions.
However, in remarks ahead of his meeting with Trump, Zelensky said: “There are definitely red lines for the Ukrainian people today… These include our territories and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Legally, we will not recognize anything under any conditions.”