From: The Guardian by Geneva Abdul (now) and Tom Bryant (earlier), last hr
Summary
That is the end of today’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine . Here’s a summary of the main events. Head over to our Europe blog , helmed by my colleague Lili Bayer in Brussels.
Vladimir Putin has held his annual end-of-the-year press conference, saying Russia’s sovereignty is under threat and “the very existence of our country without sovereignty is impossible … the whole country cannot exist without sovereignty.
“There will be peace when we achieve our goals. They haven’t changed. Denazification of Ukraine, the demilitarisation of Ukraine.”
Related: Putin says no peace until Russia’s goals in Ukraine achieved
Putin also said he was open to repairing relations with Europe and the US but added that Russia had done nothing wrong in its invasion of Ukraine . He blamed the west for “spoiling relations” with Russia.
The Russian president has held similar media events, where journalists or carefully selected Russians are chosen to ask him questions on national television, for most of his 24 years in power.
The Kremlin cancelled last year’s event after a series of humiliating military defeats in Ukraine. The resumption of the call-in show – this year featuring members of the public and journalists in a single format – indicates the Kremlin is hoping to show that its Ukraine strategy is back on track and that Putin is firmly in control.
Voice of Ukraine 