Putin claims victory in Ukraine while economy feels the strain
In 2024, Russia was expected to achieve the most significant territorial advances since the beginning of the war. Reuters, citing its sources, reports that Putin claims Russia has achieved its primary objectives in Ukraine. However, the Russian leader also admitted that the war is putting pressure on the country's economy.
According to Reuters, citing its sources, last year Russia gained the most significant territorial acquisitions since the early days of the war. At the end of November, DeepState reported that Russia controls 18% of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea, as well as 80% of the Donbas, and significant parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
"In Putin's view, the key objectives of the war have already been achieved," writes the agency.
The main goals included gaining control over territory connecting mainland Russia with Crimea and weakening the Ukrainian army, according to a source familiar with the situation at the Kremlin.
Putin also acknowledges that the war is putting pressure on the economy, pointing to "really big problems" such as the impact of high interest rates on non-military businesses and industry. Some Russian elites believe that negotiations are needed to end the war.
Trump presses Putin
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced on Monday that he plans to meet with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. The aim of the meeting is to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
"I will meet with President Putin," said Trump during the signing of a series of executive orders. He added that the first conversation with Putin will take place "soon" and claimed that Russian war losses amount to a million people. "I think he is destroying Russia by not accepting an agreement (...). Russia is in big trouble," stated Trump.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, informed that Russia's losses in 2024 alone surpassed the total figures from 2022 and 2023. "According to our calculations, in 2024, total (Russian - ed.) losses exceeded 434,000 people, with about 150,000 killed. This year of fighting has cost them more than the previous two years of war combined," Syrskyi said.
