President Putin: Russia has reasons to win against Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin stated that there is reason to believe that the Russian army will destroy the Ukrainian armed forces; he also proposed holding elections in the neighboring country.
According to RIA Novosti on March 28, during his 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 bringing external control over the country.
Referring to the situation on the front lines, President Vladimir Putin said there is reason to believe that the Russian army will annihilate the Ukrainian armed forces.
"I said recently that we would 'force' them, but there is reason to believe we will finish them off."
Putin stated that Russia is steadily, but persistently and confidently moving toward achieving all the goals of the special military operation. The strategic initiative rests entirely in the hands of the Russian Armed Forces along the entire front line. More than 70% of the territory of Donetsk, the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, as well as 99% of the territory of Lugansk, have been brought under control.
"Our army, our soldiers are advancing and liberating territory, settlement after territory every day," the Russian president said.
According to Putin, Russia was not the initiator of the military actions, as Moscow had tried to resolve the situation in southeastern Ukraine peacefully for the previous eight years.
"Ukraine began after the 2014 coup in Ukraine, supported by Western countries, and then the real fighting started in southeastern Ukraine," Putin noted.
President Putin also reiterated that, at the Istanbul talks in Türkiye in 2022, Russia reached an agreement with Ukraine on issues of demilitarization and defascism;
"We reached an agreement with Ukraine during the talks held in Istanbul. Incidentally, we also agreed on the issues that are often raised and interpreted as insurmountable – namely, the issues of defascism and demilitarization," President Putin said.
Speaking about the possibility of ending the conflict in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the establishment of a provisional government in Ukraine would allow for the holding of democratic elections and the formation of a viable government to take power, after which peace negotiations and the signing of relevant documents could take place.
The Russian president reiterated 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.
Putin said that, under the auspices of the United Nations, discussions could be held with Russia's partners, the United States and European countries, about the possibility of implementing such a form of temporary administration in Ukraine.
"And for what? To hold democratic elections, to bring a viable government, one that the people trust, to power. And then to begin negotiations with them on a peace treaty, to sign legal documents that will be recognized worldwide and will be reliable and stable. This is just one of the options; I'm not saying there are no other options," Putin said.
Furthermore, the Kremlin leader emphasized that Russia is a maritime power and will do everything to maintain this position. To do so, Russia will build new surface ships and submarines, improving their characteristics. The new vessels must meet current requirements, be combat-ready, and be effective.
The Russian Navy is the cornerstone of national strategic security.
