Russian president Vladimir Putin offered no compromise on his terms for ending the ‍war in Ukraine on Friday and accused the European Union of attempting “daylight robbery” of Russian assets. Mr Putin set out the Kremlin’s stance on the war in the opening moments of his annual end-of-year press conference, a marathon event that typically runs for some four hours. The ‍EU leaders said they reserved the right to use Russian assets to repay the loan if Moscow fails to pay war reparations to Ukraine. Mr Putin said the bloc had backed away from the original scheme because it would have faced serious repercussions, and it had damaged its status as a safe place to store assets. Attendees had to undergo a Covid test – still routine for meetings involving Mr Putin (73) several years after the end of the pandemic.

Source: The Irish Times December 19, 2025 14:59 UTC