Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted on Friday that Russian forces are making headway, expressing confidence that Russia will achieve its military objectives if Ukraine does not agree to Russia’s conditions in peace negotiations, as reported by The Associated Press.

“Our troops are making progress along the entire line of engagement, advancing more rapidly in certain areas while moving more cautiously in others, but the adversary is retreating across all fronts,” Putin stated at his yearly press briefing, according to the news outlet.

Amid the ongoing conflict, the European Union has approved a loan exceeding $105 billion to support Ukraine.

This image, released by the state news agency Sputnik, shows Russian President Vladimir Putin conducting his annual year-end press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2025. (Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his appreciation for the support.

“I am grateful to all leaders of the European Union for the European Council’s decision on €90 billion in financial support for Ukraine in 2026–2027. This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience. It is important that Russian assets remain immobilized and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years. Thank you for the result and for unity. Together, we are defending the future of our continent,” he declared in a post on X.

Putin has asserted that Russia will accomplish its objectives one way or the other.

“The goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved. We would prefer to accomplish this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomatic means,” he said, according to a Kremlin release about a Defense Ministry Board meeting earlier this week.

“However, if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means,” Putin declared.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference with Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, not pictured, on Dec. 15, 2025, in Berlin, Germany. (Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump’s administration has been striving to help broker an end to the war between the two nations.