Russian President Vladimir Putin. RT photo
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the forum ‘Small Motherland – The Power of Russia’ in Moscow on January 16 that Ukraine’s much-advertised counterattack has now “completely failed” and the government Kiev’s power may soon suffer an irreparable blow.
Putin noted that the head of Ukraine’s negotiating team, which participated in peace talks with Russia in the early months of the conflict, recently admitted that Kiev was at one point ready to reach an agreement with Moscow. . However, after a visit by then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Ukrainian government was persuaded to stop pursuing an agreement with Russia and continue fighting.
“Aren’t they idiots?” Putin asked, adding that if Ukraine had ignored Johnson, the war could have ended long ago. “This proves once again that they are not independent people,” the Russian leader said.
Putin went on to suggest that Kiev’s latest attacks on Russian civilians were an attempt to distract its own people and Western donors from “the complete and utter failure of their so-called counteroffensive”, which was intended to push Russian forces back to the Ukrainian border in 1991.
The President said that not only did Kiev’s attack fail miserably, but all initiative on the battlefield had also fallen to the Russians.
“If things continue like this, the Ukrainian state may be dealt a very serious and irreparable blow,” Mr. Putin warned, saying that the leadership in Kiev must bear full responsibility. situation, this is a direct consequence of their policies and decisions.
Putin’s statement comes as Western supporters of Kiev are increasingly concerned that the country cannot inflict military defeat on Russia and are urging Ukraine to find a diplomatic solution.
According to Russian estimates, about 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded in the conflict, including 125,000 in Kiev’s counteroffensive from early June to late November.