Putin: "Ukraine Can't Last Even a Month If Ammunition Runs Out"

"Ukraine's Sovereignty Is Almost Zero"
Putin Unfazed by Trump's Pressure

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that Ukraine would not be able to endure this war any longer if Western support were to be cut off.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that Ukraine would no longer be able to endure this war if Western support were to cease. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

On the 28th (local time), TASS news agency and others reported that in an interview with Russian state broadcaster journalist Pavel Zarubiy, President Putin said, "If money and ammunition in the broad sense run out, they (Ukraine) will not last even a month." He added, "Everything will end within a month, a month and a half, or two months," and said, "In this regard, Ukraine's sovereignty is almost zero." The war in Ukraine, which began with Russia's invasion, will exceed three years next month.

His close aides have also expressed confidence several times. Nikolai Patrushev, a Kremlin aide close to President Putin, said in an earlier interview with the Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda, "Ukraine might not exist at all this year."

In the same interview, President Putin stated that while he could talk with Ukraine, he could not negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The reason given was that since Zelensky's term ended last year and he has extended his regime based on martial law, he has lost legitimacy. Putin said, "If he (President Zelensky) wants to participate in negotiations, I will assign someone to negotiate."

Expectations for an end to the war rose with the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who declared he could end the Ukraine war within a day of taking office, but Putin appeared indifferent. The U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) evaluated on the 23rd (local time) that "Trump's first attempt to bring President Putin to the negotiating table only elicited a shrug of the shoulders."

Although Russia is estimated to have lost nearly 700,000 troops since the outbreak of the war, it is still replenishing forces at the front, and internally it is judged that Russia has the capacity to sustain the war for at least about a year. Trump, who urges an end to the war but maintains a negative stance on the U.S. directly providing additional support to Ukraine, is also seen as contributing to Putin's confidence.