"Putin began speaking just hours after the European Union failed to agree on a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's economic and military needs in the coming years. Instead, EU leaders agreed the bloc will provide a 90 billion-euro ($106 billion) interest-free loan to Kyiv. US envoys have held several rounds of separate talks with Ukrainian and Russian officials, with European leaders also weighing in to help Kyiv try to avert a deal that would favor Moscow."
"Trump said on December 15 that he believes "we're closer now than we have been ever" to an agreement, but the positions of Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on key issues including territorial control, particularly in the Donbas -- the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, where fighting is fierce. The event in Moscow, held most years since Putin came to power a quarter-century ago, comes ahead of expected US talks in Miami -- again separately -- with Ukrainian and Russian representatives."
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address Moscow's war against Ukraine and US-led attempts to broker peace during a long, orchestrated year-end event. The appearance follows a diplomatic push by US President Donald Trump and separate US and European efforts to negotiate with Kyiv and Moscow. The European Union could not agree on using frozen Russian assets and instead approved a 90 billion-euro interest-free loan to Ukraine. Positions between Russia and Ukraine remain sharply divided, especially over territorial control in the Donbas. Putin has shown little sign of readiness for major compromises and has warned of seizing territory by force if demands are unmet.
Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
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