On the last weekend of 2025, Vladimir Putin told the world that Ukraine was in no hurry for peace and that Russia would pursue its aims by force if Kyiv refused a negotiated settlement. The words arrived in the fourth bitter year of a war that began with a full-scale invasion, as a vast drone and missile barrage struck Ukraine and each capital claimed the moral high ground of seeking peace. Even as diplomacy gathered momentum, with Zelenskiy due to meet Donald Trump in Florida, the battlefield remained a contested story, told differently by each side and slow to yield to verification.
Putin Vows to Achieve Ukraine Aims by Force if Kyiv Rejects Peace as Zelenskiy Prepares Trump Meeting
A vast Russian drone and missile attack and ongoing fierce fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine; the article gives no casualty figures.
Ukraine is in no hurry for peace, Putin said, vowing to achieve goals by force
Mark
Putin says Russia will reach its goals by force if Kyiv doesn't want peace. Why does the timing matter?
Mimi
It came a day before Zelenskiy meets Trump in Florida, and right after a vast Russian drone and missile attack. Both leaders are speaking to that meeting.
Mark
And Zelenskiy framed the attack as proof of what Russia wants.
Mimi
Yes, he said Russia was showing it wants to continue the war while Kyiv wants peace. Putin's line is the mirror image: Ukraine is in no hurry.
Luke
Worth saying that both of those are statements of position, not findings. Neither tells us what either side would actually accept.
Mark
What about the towns Russia says it captured?
Mimi
Myrnohrad, Rodynske and Artemivka in Donetsk, and Huliaipole and Stepnohirsk in Zaporizhzhia, according to the Kremlin. Ukraine rejects the claims about Huliaipole and Myrnohrad.
Luke
And that's the key gap. The Kremlin says captured; Ukraine's General Staff says fighting continues and a substantial part of Huliaipole is still held. We only have the two claims, and the reporting says verification is hard.
Mark
Do we know the human cost?
Luke
Not from this report. It gives no casualty figures for the attack or the fighting.
Mimi
What we do know is that the White House hadn't commented yet, so how Washington reads Putin's warning is still open.
Der Puls
- Putin's warning that Russia will achieve its goals by force if Kyiv refuses talks lands like a gauntlet thrown just as diplomacy stirs.
- A vast drone and missile assault rattles Ukraine while fierce fighting grinds on across the eastern and southern fronts.
- Moscow announces the capture of several towns in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, while Kyiv flatly rejects claims about Huliaipole and Myrnohrad.
- Zelenskiy heads to Florida to meet Trump in search of a path out of the war, but the outcome remains uncertain and the White House has not yet answered Putin's remarks.
On the last weekend of 2025, Vladimir Putin told the world that Ukraine was in no hurry for peace and that Russia would pursue its aims by force if Kyiv refused a negotiated settlement. The words arrived in the fourth bitter year of a war that began with a full-scale invasion, as a vast drone and missile barrage struck Ukraine and each capital claimed the moral high ground of seeking peace. Even as diplomacy gathered momentum, with Zelenskiy due to meet Donald Trump in Florida, the battlefield remained a contested story, told differently by each side and slow to yield to verification.
On Saturday, December 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine was in no hurry to make peace. If Kyiv would not settle the conflict peacefully, he said, Moscow would reach all its goals by force. His remarks were carried by the state news agency TASS, and they followed a massive Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine.
Zelenskiy answered the assault by saying Russia was showing it wanted the war to continue, while Kyiv wanted peace. The article gives no casualty figures for the strikes. Putin spoke during an inspection visit where commanders reported gains, and the Kremlin announced on Telegram that Russian forces had taken Myrnohrad, Rodynske and Artemivka in Donetsk, along with Huliaipole and Stepnohirsk in Zaporizhzhia.
Kyiv pushed back. Its military called the claims about Huliaipole and Myrnohrad false, saying the situation remains difficult but its troops are still defending. The Southern Command said fierce fighting continues in Huliaipole and that a substantial part of the town is still in Ukrainian hands.
Neither account can be checked independently. Access is restricted on both sides and front lines move quickly, so satellite imagery and geolocated footage, which are often partial or delayed, must catch up before the claims can be settled. For now both capitals' accounts remain just that.
All eyes turn to Sunday, when Zelenskiy meets Trump in Florida to seek a resolution to a war now nearly four years old. The White House had not immediately responded to Putin's remarks.
On Saturday, December 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine was in no hurry to make peace, and that if Kyiv did not want to settle the conflict peacefully, Moscow would achieve all of its goals by force. His remarks were carried by the state news agency TASS.
They came after a vast Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy responded to that assault by saying Russia was showing it wanted the war to go on, while Kyiv wanted peace. The article gives no casualty figures for the attack.
The exchange sets the backdrop for a meeting on Sunday, December 28. Zelenskiy is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida to seek a resolution to the war, which Putin launched nearly four years ago with a full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Putin's remarks.
Putin made his comments during an inspection visit, where Russian commanders reported battlefield gains. According to the Kremlin, posting on Telegram, Russian forces had captured the towns of Myrnohrad, Rodynske and Artemivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. They also claimed Huliaipole and Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukraine disputes part of that account. Its military called the claims about Huliaipole and Myrnohrad false. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on social media that the situation in both places remains difficult, but that Ukrainian troops are still conducting defensive operations.
The Southern Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Telegram that fierce fighting continues in Huliaipole. It added that a substantial part of the town is still held by Ukraine's Defence Forces.
Independent confirmation is hard to come by. Access is restricted on both sides, information is tightly controlled and front lines shift quickly. Media rely on satellite imagery and geolocated footage, which can be partial or delayed. Claims from both capitals therefore stand as claims until that evidence catches up.
What to watch next is the Florida meeting between Zelenskiy and Trump, and whether the White House responds to Putin's warning.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
If Ukraine does not want to resolve the conflict peacefully, Moscow would accomplish all its goals by force.— Vladimir Putin, via TASS (paraphrased)
A substantial part of Huliaipole continues to be held by the Defence Forces of Ukraine.— Southern Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces, on Telegram
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