Putin dedicated his New Year's greeting to the war and did not mention peace talks

The text of the speech was made public by the Dozhd TV channel in Telegram.

Putin devoted a significant part of the address to the war, which Russia calls the "NWO". He called the Russian military "heroes," allegedly fighting for "truth and justice," and also assured that Russia will continue to "achieve its goals and will go only forward."

At the same time, in his New Year's greeting, Putin never mentioned possible negotiations to end the war, despite the fact that contacts with the U.S. side on this issue are ongoing.

Earlier, on December 17, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said against the backdrop of peace initiatives by Ukraine and the United States that the "key task" for Russia in 2026 is to maintain and increase "the gained offensive tempo". According to him, the policy of European and NATO countries allegedly "creates real prerequisites" for the continuation of hostilities in 2026.

on 16 December, the Institute for the Study of War reported that the Kremlin actually excludes the basic principles on which the elaboration of a peace plan to end the war against Ukraine is based. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry explicitly stated that the purpose of the war is to make Ukrainians believe that they supposedly belong " in Russia.

In addition, on 29 December, Putin officially enacted a draft decree for 2026 that calls for a shift to a single year-round draft cycle instead of the traditional spring and autumn campaigns. The ISW explained that this decision effectively puts all administrative conscription procedures in Russia on a continuous basis.