War in Ukraine has made Russia stronger – Putin

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has said that the war in Ukraine has made his country “much stronger.”

Putin also rubbished claims that the fall of Russian key ally, Bashar al-Assad of Syria had hurt Moscow’s standing.

The Russian leader said this in a marathon end of the year press conference and television call-in seeking to project confidence at home and abroad.

He described President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine as “illegitimate”, adding that he (Putin) was ready to meet with US President-elect, Donald Trump and discuss peace proposals to end his full-scale invasion.

He, however, insisted that any meeting of such won’t stop Russia from keeping control of Crimea, together with the four Ukrainian regions he laid claim to in 2022.

The Russian leader appeared largely upbeat and confident, as his troops continued to make grinding progress in Ukraine.

“The situation on the battlefield is changing drastically, with movement occurring along the entire frontline.

“Every day our fighters are reclaiming territory by the square kilometre,” he said.

He said the Russian military was “advancing toward achieving our goals” in what he calls the special military operation in Ukraine.