Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed there would be no peace in Ukraine until his goals are achieved and said those objectives remain unchanged at a year-end news conference on Thursday that offered the leader an opportunity to reinforce his grip on power.
Giving rare detail on what Moscow calls its special military operation, Putin dismissed the need for a second wave of mobilization of reservists to fight in Ukraine — a move that proved deeply unpopular in the past. He said there are some 617,000 Russian soldiers currently there, including around 244,000 troops who were called up to fight alongside professional
