Vladimir Putin Issues Dual Warning: Peace for “Security Guarantees” vs. Total Military Victory

Key Points:

• President Vladimir Putin declared Russia is “ready to stop the conflict in Ukraine immediately” if Moscow receives binding security guarantees and its territorial demands are met.
• European Union leaders reached a breakthrough early Friday, agreeing to a €90 billion interest-free loan to fund Kyiv through 2027, bypassing the legal complexities of seizing frozen Russian assets.
• Putin claimed Russian forces have “fully seized strategic initiative,” warning that Moscow will take its “historical lands” by force if peace terms are rejected by Ukraine and its allies.

The geopolitical tug-of-war over Eastern Europe reached a fever pitch this Friday as Russian President Vladimir Putin used his annual marathon press conference to deliver a dual message of defiance and conditional diplomacy.

Even as he claimed his forces hold the “strategic initiative,” Putin made a high-stakes overture to the West, signaling a potential end to the four-year war, India Today reported.

“We are ready to stop the conflict in Ukraine immediately if we get security guarantees,” Putin stated during the televised “Results of the Year” event in Moscow.

The Russian leader further asserted that while Moscow is “ready and willing” to end the bloodshed, it would only do so on terms that address the “root causes,” specifically the neutrality of Ukraine and the recognition of Russia’s territorial gains.

The “Immediate” Ceasefire Conditions

Putin’s remarks came as a response to the 28-point peace proposal currently being circulated by the U.S. administration.

While he struck a more open tone than in previous months, he remained firm on the non-negotiables. He reiterated that for an immediate halt to hostilities, Kyiv must withdraw troops from the entirety of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, areas Russia currently claims but does not fully control.

Putin suggested that he had “practically agreed” on certain frameworks during previous summit talks, but accused Western leaders of blocking progress.

He warned that if these “security guarantees” and territorial demands are rejected, Russia will continue to “achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.

Putin’s Hardline Position : No Compromise

According to RFE/RL, Putin sounded very confident, saying that the Russian army is wearing out Ukrainian fortifications on the 1,100-kilometer front line.

He said that the enemy is being pushed back in all directions and expressed confidence that he would complete the military objectives he had established in February 2022.

Nevertheless, the Russian leader warned that in case a diplomatic resolution fails to meet the demands of Moscow in terms of root causes, i.e. expansion of NATO and possession of its territories, Russia would seize its historical lands through military action.

€90 Billion Rescue

Even as Putin was talking about military power, Brussels was preparing its display of military power. 

EU leaders settled on a historic Ukraine funding agreement worth EUR90 billion in the aftermath of a 16-hour marathon summit which concluded at 3:00 a.m. on Friday and will be raised on capital markets and supported by the headroom of the EU own budget, The Guardian reported.

The transaction is an important turn. Months later, the bloc discussed utilizing the interest on the frozen €210 billion in Russian central bank assets to finance the war effort but figured in a legal risk and what European Council President Antonio Costa called a disaster to the international prestige of the Euro, Ukraine will only be obliged to pay the money back once it is recompensed by Russia.

Strategic Independence and Political Swerving

The Ukraine funding deal was formulated meticulously to evade veto of an action by the member state such as Hungary and Slovakia. 

The NL Times states that these countries received an opt-out where the loan guarantees would not have any effect on their national financial commitments. This manipulation had permitted unanimous approval with the Russian assets remaining as collateral in future negotiations.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that the action sends a crystal clear message to the Kremlin: 

Europe can afford to maintain its geopolitical acceptability and will keep Kyiv going. It is hoped that the money will begin to flow by mid-January 2025, which would leave Ukraine avoiding an anticipated cash crunch in the spring.