No Agreement, No Peace: Putin Vows War With Ukraine Will Go On

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the conflict in Ukraine will continue unless a political settlement is reached, warning that Moscow is prepared to press ahead militarily to achieve its objectives.

“If we do not succeed in reaching an agreement on Ukraine, then we will achieve our goals by military means,” Putin told reporters in Beijing at the close of a four-day state visit to China.

The Russian leader, 72, claimed his forces were making steady gains and that Ukraine’s reserves were “exhausted.” While Russian troops have advanced slowly in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv has recently retaken several towns and villages in counterattacks.

Putin also cast doubt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy to negotiate, arguing that his mandate expired in 2024. Zelensky, however, continues in office under martial law provisions that extend presidential powers during wartime.

Calling dialogue with Zelensky a “dead end,” Putin nevertheless praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to push for negotiations, saying he saw “light at the end of the tunnel” with the new U.S. administration.

Putin denied tying security guarantees for Ukraine to Russia’s territorial demands, though he reiterated Moscow’s insistence on protecting the rights of Russian-speaking populations in areas it occupies. Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukraine and has demanded Kyiv relinquish the territories it annexed — a demand Zelensky has flatly rejected as unconstitutional.