Putin showed off Russia's strength and the achievements of the war in Ukraine at his annual news conference, which was broadcast live for more than four hours.
Confident that a missile confrontation with the United States is also possible, he stressed that he is close to achieving his war goals and that he will also regain his key region, Kursk.
[Vladimir Putin / Russian President] Things are changing dramatically. I'm sure you all know. Our military is advancing every day on the front line.
Putin also argued that Russia is open to unconditional negotiations, but it is Ukraine that is not ready.
At the same time, he said he would have a lot to discuss when he meets with U.S. President-elect Trump, who will take office next month.
[Vladimir Putin / Russian President: We are ready to meet President-elect Trump whenever he wants]
Ukrainian President Zelensky, who attended the EU summit on the same day, criticized Putin for being out of his mind and called for unity between the United States and Europe to pressure Russia.
In particular, he said that the role of the U.S. is important for real security guarantees and that he expects Trump to help end the war.
[Volodymyr Zelensky / President of Ukraine: It's very important that Trump is on Ukraine's side. I'd like to discuss the war situation in detail with Trump.]
Earlier, at his first official press conference, Trump also expressed his willingness to mediate the negotiations, saying he would meet with Putin and Zelensky, but did not mention the specific timing.
With Russia and Ukraine unable to narrow their differences, attention is being paid to whether Trump's return to the White House next month will be a turning point in the war.
I'm Jo Suhyun of YTN in London.
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