Russia will press on with its war in Ukraine unless officials Kyiv do a deal that takes Russian security concerns into account, President Vladimir Putin says, adding that the goals of the "special military operation" would be met regardless.
Fielding questions from the public and media at an event dominated by the conflict, Putin - who has announced he will seek another six-year presidential term in March - said his initial goals in Ukraine had not changed and that Russian forces had taken the initiative on the battlefield.
"Practically along the entire line of contact, our armed forces are, shall we say, modestly improving their position. Virtually all are in an active stage of action," Putin said.
Russia's core goals remained "de-Nazification", "de-militarisation" and securing Ukraine's neutrality, the 71-year-old leader said.
"There will be peace when we achieve our goals," he said.
"As for de-militarisation, if they (the Ukrainians) don't want to come to an agreement - well, then we are forced to take other measures, including military ones.
"Either we get an agreement, agree on certain parameters (on the size and strength of Ukraine's military)... or we solve this by force. This is what we will strive for," Putin added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said negotiations with Russia are impossible until all Russian soldiers have been expelled from Ukrainian territory, and is seeking further foreign assistance to defend his country.
Putin has cast himself as the right man to continue leading Russia through a conflict that he sees as existential for Russia's survival but which is described by Ukraine and its allies as an unprovoked colonial-style land grab.
He said a group of elite Ukrainian forces who had crossed the River Dnipro in Ukraine was being ground down.
"The (Ukrainian) approach seems to be that, while they are travelling and begging (for foreign aid), it is necessary to show that the Ukrainian armed forces have some chance of achieving, at all costs and without regard for casualties, some kind of success," Putin said.
"They are simply being driven out of there (from the east bank of the Dnipro), that's all."
Reuters could not verify the battlefield situation.
At one point in Thursday's marathon press conference, Putin took questions from Russian forces fighting near the front line, with gunfire echoing in the background.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or wounded in Ukraine, cities, towns and villages have been destroyed and millions have been forced from their homes.
Putin reiterated his position that NATO's eastward expansion towards Russia's borders - including Ukraine's desire to join the military alliance - was the fundamental cause of the conflict.
The United States and its European allies blame Russia for the conflict.
"The unbridled desire to creep towards our borders, taking Ukraine into NATO, all this led to this tragedy... They forced us into these actions," he said.
"When internal changes happen (in the United States), when they start respecting other people... when they start looking for compromise instead of trying to resolve their issues with sanctions and military intervention, then the fundamental conditions will be in place to restore fully fledged relations."
Zelenskiy hailed a "victory" for Ukraine and the European continent on Thursday after European Union leaders agreed to open membership talks for Ukraine and Moldova.
The decision announced by European Council President Charles Michel on the first day of a summit in Brussels is a much-needed morale boost for Ukraine which fears vital foreign support has been waning as its war with Russia rages on with no end in sight.
"I thank everyone who worked for this to happen and everyone who helped. I congratulate every Ukrainian on this day... History is made by those who don't get tired of fighting for freedom," Zelenskiy wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Australian Associated Press
