In New Year’s Eve message to war-weary Russia, Putin says little about conflict in Ukraine

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin devoted little more than half a minute of his annual New Year’s Eve address on Dec 31 to the fighting in Ukraine, as war-fatigued Russians increasingly hope for a resolution to the conflict.

Mr Putin, delivering a brief speech with the Kremlin’s outer walls as his background, told Russian soldiers that they were shouldering the responsibility of fighting for their “native land, for truth and justice”. Russia’s people, he added, believe that victory will be achieved.

The Russian leader otherwise transmitted a more anodyne message, echoing his addresses of the past two years. He described Russia as “one big family”, strong and united, striving for a better future.

In 2022, by contrast, Mr Putin stood in front of officers in fatigues and spent nearly nine minutes talking about the war and railing against what he called a duplicitous West. The war was 10 months old at that point, and Ukraine, with the aid of Western allies, had thwarted Russia’s hopes for a rapid victory.

This year, the address lasted only a little longer than three minutes. After nearly four years of war, Russians are increasingly looking for a deal to end the conflict, according to polls. But Mr Putin made no mention of US President Donald Trump’s peacemaking efforts or Moscow’s attempts to improve its relations with Washington.

In December, 66 per cent of Russians were in favour of peace negotiations, according to a survey conducted by Levada, an independent pollster. This was the highest percentage since the pollster began asking the question in 2022. The share of people who said they were in favour of continuing fighting was 25 per cent – the lowest ever.

Despite those sentiments, Mr Putin has shown little willingness to compromise in talks. His biggest concession has been to demand that Ukraine

hand over only the remaining territory of the Donetsk region

that it still holds, as opposed to the entirety of the four regions that Moscow claimed to have annexed in 2022. Ukraine controls vast swathes of that territory.

More than 50 per cent of

Russians surveyed by Levada

said they did not think that Washington’s attempt to broker peace would be successful. In his address, Mr Putin avoided any mention of an end to the conflict.

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Dec 28 for the latest round of peace talks, Moscow claimed it had downed dozens of drones that it said Ukraine had launched at one of Mr Putin’s residences, in the Novgorod region.

Mr Zelensky

denounced the accusation as a lie

aimed at scuttling the negotiations. Alerts and posts on Telegram that night noted drones approaching the region from the south, but did not make clear what was targeted.

On Dec 31, the Russian Defence Ministry

released footage on social media

of what it claimed was one of the drones, which matches a type commonly used by Ukrainian forces, lying partially damaged in the snow.

It could not be independently confirmed when or where that drone had been shot down.

The ministry also released what it called an interview with a local resident who described hearing the sound of interceptor rockets, which also could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian and Western critics of the Russian government, citing patterns of false or questionable statements by the Kremlin as it wages an information war in addition to the physical one, say Moscow’s claims may indicate that it is looking for a reason to back out of peace talks.

The critics also say the Kremlin is attempting to turn Mr Trump further against Ukraine.

Russian officials said that in the light of the claimed attack, the Kremlin would harden its stance on making peace with Ukraine. Mr Yuri Ushakov, Mr Putin’s foreign policy adviser, said “Russia’s position regarding a number of previously reached agreements and emerging solutions will be revised”.

In Russia, the yearly presidential address – aired five minutes before midnight – is the pinnacle of New Year’s Eve, the country’s most significant secular holiday.

Originally delivered by Soviet leaders, the address has evolved in modern Russia into a major event that reflects presidential policy and the national mood.

Through the addresses, Russian leaders have traditionally sought to strike a more personal note, assuming the role of “father of the nation” to instil a sense of stability and promise.

In 1999, President Boris Yeltsin ushered in a new era by using the address to announce his resignation and name Mr Putin, then prime minister, as his successor.

For Mr Putin, New Year’s Eve addresses have mirrored the evolution of his presidency. In the early 2000s, he focused on democratic reform and stability. In later years, as the Russian economy expanded, he emphasised wealth and prosperity.

In recent years, as conflict with the West deepened, his addresses have reflected an increasingly militarised and confrontational worldview. NYTIMES