President Putin: Russia has reasons to win Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin said there was reason to believe that the Russian army would destroy the Ukrainian Armed Forces; at the same time, he proposed an election option in the neighboring country.
According to RIA Novosti on March 28, during a visit to Murmansk, at a meeting with the crew of the Arkhangelsk missile submarine, the Russian President spoke about victory in the conflict in Ukraine and the introduction of external control into the country.
Referring to the situation on the front, President Vladimir Putin said there is reason to believe that the Russian army will destroy the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“I said recently that we would ‘force’ them, but there is reason to believe that we will finish them off.”
Mr. Putin said that Russia is gradually, but persistently and confidently moving towards achieving all the goals of the special military operation. The strategic initiative is fully in the hands of the Russian Armed Forces on the entire front line. More than 70% of the territory of Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, as well as 99% of the territory of Lugansk are under control.
"Our army, our soldiers are moving forward and liberating territories, settlements every day," the Russian President said.
According to Mr. Putin, Russia was not the initiator of military actions, because Moscow had tried to resolve the situation in southeastern Ukraine by peaceful means for the previous 8 years.
"Ukraine started after the coup in Ukraine in 2014, which was supported by Western countries, and then real fighting began in the southeast of Ukraine," Putin noted.
President Putin also recalled that at the Istanbul talks in Türkiye in 2022, Russia reached an agreement with Ukraine on the issues of demilitarization and de-fascism;
“We reached an agreement with Ukraine when the talks were held in Istanbul. By the way, we also agreed on issues that are now often raised and interpreted as unsolvable – namely, on the issues of de-fascism and demilitarization,” President Putin said.
Speaking about the possibility of ending the conflict in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the establishment of an interim government in Ukraine would allow for democratic elections and the formation of a viable government to take power, after which peace negotiations could be held and relevant documents signed.
The Russian President recalled that the practice of external or temporary administration has been used many times within the framework of UN peacekeeping operations, for example in East Timor, New Guinea and some areas of the former Yugoslavia.
Mr. Putin said that under the auspices of the United Nations, it is possible to discuss with Russia's partners, the United States and European countries, the possibility of applying such a form of temporary administration in Ukraine.
"And for what? To hold democratic elections, to bring to power a viable government that the people trust. And then start negotiations with them on a peace treaty, sign legal documents that will be recognized all over the world and will be reliable and stable. This is just one of the options, I am not saying that there are no other options," Putin said.
In addition, the Kremlin leader also emphasized that Russia is a maritime power, and will do everything to maintain this position. To do that, Russia will build new surface ships and submarines, improving their characteristics. New ships must meet current requirements, be combat-ready and effective.
The Russian Navy is the foundation of national strategic security.
