Putin vows to ‘finish off’ Ukraine, accuses West of prolonging the war

• Putin claims Russian forces are nearing victory, signaling a potential turning point in the war.
• He blames Boris Johnson for sabotaging 2022 peace talks and pushing Ukraine to fight “to the last Ukrainian.”
• Russia threatens a “bloodbath” over proposed NATO security deployments, escalating tensions.
• Western leaders are planning a “reassurance force” for Ukraine, which Moscow has labeled a provocation.
• A controversial U.S. minerals deal grants Washington control over Ukraine’s resources without any security guarantees.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Thursday that his forces are on the verge of crushing Ukraine’s military, signaling a potential turning point in the two-year conflict. Speaking aboard a nuclear submarine in the Arctic port of Murmansk, Putin accused Western leaders—particularly former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson—of sabotaging peace talks and pushing Ukraine to fight “to the last Ukrainian” in pursuit of an unattainable victory over Russia. His remarks came as Moscow threatened a “bloodbath” in response to proposed NATO security deployments, further escalating tensions ahead of high-stakes negotiations.

“We’ll finish them off”

Putin, flanked by sailors aboard the Arkhangelsk—a submarine armed with hypersonic Zircon missiles—boasted that Russian forces now hold the “strategic initiative” across the entire front line. “Not long ago I said, ‘We’ll squeeze them.’ Now there’s reason to believe we’ll finish them off,” he said, suggesting Ukraine’s military collapse is imminent. Despite his aggressive rhetoric, Putin reiterated openness to negotiations—but only if they address Russia’s core demands: Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and recognition of Moscow’s territorial gains.

The Russian leader reserved some of his sharpest criticism for Johnson, whom he blamed for derailing the 2022 Istanbul peace talks by allegedly convincing Kyiv to reject diplomacy. “Their European handlers… convinced the Ukrainian leadership that they had to continue armed resistance, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,” Putin said. He mocked Britain’s diminished global standing, scoffing at its “ninth or tenth place” economy and small military.

Western “reassurance force” spurs Kremlin fury

As Putin spoke, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to deploy a joint “reassurance force” to Ukraine—a move Moscow condemned as a direct provocation. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned the proposal could trigger a “bloodbath,” accusing London of manipulating Europe into war. “They need to provoke Europe into a bloodbath [with Russia]… They themselves left the European Union,” she said, framing the plan as an Anglo-Saxon plot.

Macron insisted that the troops would not deploy to the front lines but would instead guard “strategic areas,” while Starmer emphasized deterrence: “This is a deal that is going to be defended.” Yet Moscow remains unmoved, with Kremlin-aligned lawmaker Sergey Mironov predicting Western weapons sent to Ukraine could fuel terrorism in Europe.

Meanwhile, a controversial U.S.-proposed minerals agreement has drawn scrutiny for granting Washington sweeping control over Ukraine’s natural resources—including veto power on sales to China—without offering security guarantees. Atlantic Council expert Alan Riley called the draft “an expropriation document,” adding, “I’ve never seen anything like it before.” The deal, paired with Trump’s push to restore Russian gas flows to Europe, has left Kyiv in a precarious position as Putin demands Zelensky’s ouster and interim UN-supervised elections.

With Putin claiming battlefield momentum and the West scrambling to shore up Ukraine, the conflict appears to be at a critical juncture. While Moscow insists it seeks peace, its conditions—territorial concessions and regime change—remain nonstarters for Kyiv. As diplomatic tensions flare, the specter of a prolonged war looms, with Putin warning darkly: “A moment of realization must come to the Ukrainian people themselves.”

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

YourNews.com

DailyMail.co.uk