Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that his country cannot be defeated in its military conflict with Ukraine.
It launched a full-scale invasion of its southern neighbor in February 2022, and Moscow currently occupies around 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Putin at Women’s Forum Creative Commons Photo
Putin Back in 2010 Creative Commons Image
Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine give up land in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have struggled to take control of key cities that are vital to Kyiv’s defenses.
“You can’t win on the battlefield,” Putin told Russian state television reporter Pavel Zarubin during an interview on October 22.
Moscow’s Tall Tales
When quizzed over potential Ukrainian territorial losses, Putin told Zarubin, “This is the territory of historical Russia,” and cited votes held in occupied areas that affirmed their support for Russia.
The U.N. General Assembly condemned the votes as “illegal so-called referendums” and declared the attempted annexations invalid under international law.
Russia claims all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, and Moscow demands Ukraine pull out of the territory, reduce its military, and abandon its attempts to join NATO.
“It’s a myth, successfully pushed in the West, that Russia always wins,” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on October 27, according to UATV’s English translation. He referred to Russia’s defeats in the Crimean War and the Russo-Japanese War.
Key Cities Under Attack
Kramatorsk and Slovyansk are two key cities in Donetsk’s defense line, and Russia “continued offensive operations east of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk on November 1 and 2 but did not advance,” the Institute for the Study of War reported Monday.
Russian drones attacked Ukrainian positions along the highway between the two cities, a Ukrainian military source told the ISW.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously signaled that he is willing to agree to a ceasefire along current conflict lines.
However, he continues to stress that Kyiv would require firm security assurances from the United States and Europe to prevent future Russian aggression.
Putin Back in Feb 2020 Image Credit Creative Commons
The Ukrainian government has also outright rejected Russia’s request that it cede territory.
Namely, Russia is demanding that Kyiv hand over the so-called “fortress belt” of cities in eastern Ukraine, which it has failed to occupy.
These settlements are crucial to Ukraine’s line of defense and industrial capacity.
Nordic Countries Divided
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, whose nations both share borders with Russia, held talks with Putin on October 27. “Ending the war requires direct discussions,” Stubb said. Meanwhile, Støre said that he and his Finnish counterpart had “stressed the importance of de-escalation.”
“I don’t see any signs that Russia desires peace with Europe,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, according to Euronews. She pointed to the war in Ukraine and to what she described as daily hybrid warfare. Stubb defended the call in Helsinki on Monday. “We communicated firmly, but without provocation,” he said.
Fresh Talks to Take Place in UAE
On Tuesday, the Kremlin confirmed that it would send a delegation to a fresh round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Monday the talks would cover “post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward peace.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky would lead the Russian delegation.
Reuters reported, citing a senior U.S. official, that Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to represent Washington.
Zelenskyy also said in Berlin on Tuesday he hopes the talks in Abu Dhabi will focus on security guarantees, reconstruction and potential pauses to attacks on energy facilities and Black Sea shipping. He said “there can be no stable peace unless Europe is at the negotiating table,” The Guardian reported.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged more support for Ukraine and warned that Russia risked further escalation with its attacks in the Black Sea, Reuters reported.
U.S. officials will also meet with representatives from Ukraine, European allies, and NATO in Brussels on Wednesday. Reuters reported that the talks would cover security guarantees and a proposed economic plan for Ukraine.
A local ceasefire, brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump, to allow aid to enter Oleshky, which is occupied by Russia, and allow civilians to evacuate ended on November 1.
The White House said on Tuesday that it will bring together Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Washington and will discuss the ceasefire on Thursday.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
