MOSCOW (AP) \u2014 President\u00a0Vladimir Putin\u00a0emphasized Friday that Moscow\u2019s troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn\u2019t agree to Russia\u2019s conditions in peace talks.<\/p>\n
Speaking at his tightly orchestrated annual news conference that lasted about 4 1\/2 hours, Putin declared that Russian forces have \u201cfully seized strategic initiative\u201d and would make more gains by year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
WATCH: Nick Schifrin asks Rubio if Putin is serious about peace in year-end news conference<\/a><\/p>\n In the early days of the conflict in 2022, Ukraine\u2019s forces thwarted an attempt by Russia\u2019s larger, better-equipped army, to capture the capital of Kyiv. But the fighting soon settled into grinding battles, and Moscow\u2019s troops have made slow and steady progress over the years. Putin frequently touts this progress \u2014 even though it\u2019s not the\u00a0lightning advance many expected.<\/p>\n \u201cOur troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors,\u201d Putin said at the\u00a0live news conference, which is combined with a nationwide call-in show that offers Russians across the country the opportunity to ask questions of their leader.<\/p>\n Putin, 73, has ruled the country for 25 years and uses the event to cement his power and air his views on domestic and global affairs during a broadcast that mixes criticism of the West with promises of more social payments. Although he is sometimes asked about his personal life, he gives scant details.<\/p>\n This year, the news conference took place against the backdrop of a\u00a0peace plan\u00a0in Ukraine put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite the extensive\u00a0diplomatic push, Washington\u2019s efforts have run into sharply\u00a0conflicting demands\u00a0from Moscow and Kyiv.<\/p>\n While the event has previously focused heavily on domestic questions \u2014 and has offered Putin a chance to expound\u00a0on topics from the price of eggs to water cuts\u00a0\u2014 Ukraine dominated it this year. Since it is highly choreographed, that could reflect the Kremlin\u2019s desire to assuage the public after nearly four years of fighting.<\/p>\n Russian demands remain unchanged<\/p>\n Putin praised Trump\u2019s peace efforts and reaffirmed that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would address the \u201croot causes\u201d of the conflict, a reference to the Kremlin\u2019s tough conditions for a deal. He said he has agreed to make \u201ccertain compromises\u201d and \u201cuneasy decisions\u201d at the Alaska summit with Trump in August but didn\u2019t elaborate.<\/p>\n He wants all the areas in four key regions captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He has also insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow\u2019s forces haven\u2019t captured yet. Kyiv has publicly rejected all these demands.<\/p>\n The Kremlin has also insisted that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and warned that it wouldn\u2019t accept the deployment of any troops from members of the military alliance members and would view them as \u201clegitimate target.\u201d<\/p>\n Putin also has repeatedly said Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language \u2014 demands he has made from the outset of the conflict.<\/p>\n Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed readiness to drop Ukraine\u2019s bid to join\u00a0NATO\u00a0if the U.S. and other Western nations give Kyiv security guarantees similar to those offered to alliance members. But at the same time, he has emphasized that Ukraine believes NATO membership remains the best security guarantee.<\/p>\n