‘No peace in Ukraine until Russian goals met’

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pic/AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin began his end-of-year news conference on Thursday vowing that his goals in Ukraine remain the same and that there would be no peace until they're achieved. The Russian president, who has held power for nearly 24 years and announced recently he is running for re-election, was greeted with applause as he arrived in the hall in central Moscow.

This year, ordinary citizens have the chance to phone in questions along with those asked by journalists, and Russians have been submitting questions for two weeks. Putin said that Moscow's goals - "de-Nazification, de-militarisation and a neutral status" of Ukraine - remain unchanged. "De-Nazification" refers from Russia's allegations that Ukraine is heavily influenced by radical nationalist and neo-Nazi groups.

2,44,000 Russian troops in Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that some 244,000 Russian troops are currently fighting in Ukraine, a rare detail. He said that the Kremlin doesn't need a second wave of mobilisation of reservists.

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