Jakarta, ThedailyID — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will continue its military campaign until it gains full control of the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed, rejecting Kyiv’s proposal to suspend long-range strikes.
In an interview broadcast on Russian state television on Sunday, Putin said halting long-range attacks would only benefit Ukrainian forces, which he said are under growing pressure along the front line.
He also announced plans to expand Russia’s air defense capabilities as Ukraine intensifies drone attacks on Russian territory.
Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes had disrupted fuel supplies in several regions. However, he said the government had brought the situation under control.
Earlier on Sunday, Putin told ministers and senior officials at the Kremlin that Ukraine’s drone campaign had caused temporary fuel shortages. He said authorities had already addressed the disruptions.
According to Putin, Ukraine proposed a mutual halt to long-range strikes as a step toward peace.
However, he said Moscow believes the proposal aims to ease military pressure on Ukrainian forces across the roughly 1,250-kilometer front line.
“It is obvious why this proposal was made,” Putin said, according to Reuters. “Our strikes deep inside Ukrainian territory are stronger, have a greater impact and, frankly, are far more destructive.”
Putin also argued that Ukraine’s military personnel shortages contributed to the proposal.
“With severe manpower shortages, the Ukrainian Armed Forces apparently see this as a way to save themselves. But saving the Kyiv regime is not part of our plans,” he said.
Ukraine had not responded publicly to Putin’s remarks at the time of publication.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Putin to hold direct peace talks. Moscow rejected the proposal.
Putin said Ukraine’s attacks on Russian infrastructure were intended to divert Russian forces from their primary military objectives.
“Our main goal is the complete liberation of Donbas and Novorossiya,” he said.
Putin uses the term Novorossiya to refer to the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Russia has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine withdraw from the remaining areas of Donetsk under Kyiv’s control as a condition for any future peace agreement.
Moscow declared the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in 2022, several months after launching its full-scale invasion. However, Russian forces still control only part of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Meanwhile, Putin called for a rapid increase in air defense production to counter Ukraine’s expanding drone campaign.
“The first task is to quickly and significantly increase production of the air defense systems we need most,” he said.
Putin also argued that Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure had not changed battlefield conditions.
Finally, he said Russia expects U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to resume after tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran ease.
Putin added that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could return to Moscow for further discussions. He also said his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska produced no signed agreement, although both sides discussed several proposals to end the war.
