Russian President Vladimir Putin once again defended Moscow’s actions in Crimea and toughened his tone on the war in Ukraine, amid new negotiations for a peace deal. In an interview released on Thursday (4/12), he stated that Russia “did not annex Crimea,” but “helped a threatened people after the coup in Kiev.”
Putin declared: “We did not annex Crimea. I want to make that absolutely clear. We simply came to help people who do not want to see their lives and future at the mercy of those who orchestrated the coup in Ukraine.”
According to him, the residents of the peninsula recognized that they belonged to Ukraine after the end of the Soviet Union, but did not want to live under “threats of revenge.”
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The Russian also rejected the idea that Russian interests were linked to the strategic port of Crimea. “There was no need to seize the port. Our naval forces were stationed there under an agreement with Ukraine, this is a fact,” he said.
In the same statement, he stressed that Moscow would control the entire Donbas region “by force of arms” if Ukraine did not withdraw its forces. Putin announced that Moscow would assume full control of Donetsk and Luhansk if Kyiv did not back down. He stressed, “Either we liberate these lands by force of arms, or the Ukrainian forces will leave these lands.”
Russia currently controls 19.2% of Ukraine, including Luhansk, more than 80% of Donetsk and parts of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Sumy. About 5 thousand square kilometers of Donetsk remain under Ukrainian control.
Recently, Moscow announced the seizure of the strategic cities of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk in eastern Ukraine. Kiev rejects this and accuses Russia of exaggerating military gains at a time when Ukrainian defenses are suffering from erosion.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff greet each other during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on August 6, 2025.
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Negotiations are taking place only between Moscow and Washington
In parallel with the statements, the Kremlin confirmed that negotiations on a potential peace agreement are taking place exclusively between Russia and the United States, without European participation. Advisor Yuri Ushakov said: “Communications take place only between Washington and Moscow.”
The meeting between the Russian President and American envoys Steve Witkopf and Jared Kushner, on Tuesday (12/2), lasted approximately five hours and only dealt with the war. Moscow presented criticism and proposals for the documents taken by the United States, and Ushakov described the meeting as “frank,” “useful,” and “constructive.”
Ukrainian officials traveled to Washington on Thursday to present their positions on the plan under discussion. Zelensky continues to state that he will not accept territorial concessions.
In the United States, Donald Trump criticized the Ukrainian leader by saying that Zelensky “took too long” to negotiate with Moscow. “I said: You don’t have any tricks up your sleeve. This was the right time to negotiate,” the Republican said, suggesting that Kiev wasted strategic opportunities.