Putin vows victory in Ukraine as US and Russia prepare for Miami talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in victory for his war in Ukraine during a meeting with senior military officials on Wednesday amid a renewed diplomatic push to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict.

He said that more than 300 localities in the neighbouring country have been conquered this year alone. “Among them are also large cities that have been turned by the enemy into fortress nodes with permanent defensive installations,” Putin said.

The Russian president said his country’s army was on the rise, in contrast to the Ukrainian forces.

The pace of conquests would only increase thanks to experience, the 73-year-old leader said. While Russia preferred diplomacy, Putin said it was ready to “regain [Russia’s] historical territories by military means”.

He also reiterated his intention to establish a “buffer zone”, that is, to occupy a strip about 30km long in northern Ukraine along the Russian border.