Putin Promises No More Wars—If Russia is Treated with Respect

Sun Dec 21 2025 09:17:46 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a recent televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that if the West respects Russia, there will be no new military conflicts. However, he reiterated long-standing grievances regarding NATO's eastward expansion and current geopolitical tensions.

During a lengthy televised session, Vladimir Putin asserted that there would be no future wars following the conflict in Ukraine, provided that Western nations treat Russia with respect. He denied plans for further military operations in Europe and criticized past assurances about NATO's expansion. Meanwhile, his statements come amidst ongoing violence and tensions in Ukraine, with new missile strikes reported just hours after his address.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there will be no more wars after Ukraine, if Russia is treated with respect - and dismissed claims that Moscow is planning to attack European countries as 'nonsense'.

In a televised event lasting almost four and a half hours, he was asked by the BBC's Steve Rosenberg whether there would be new 'special military operations' - Putin's term for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

'There won't be any operations if you treat us with respect, if you respect our interests just as we've always tried to respect yours,' he asserted.

Earlier this month, Putin mentioned that Russia was not planning to go to war with Europe, but was ready 'right now' if Europeans wanted to.

Answering a question from the BBC Russia editor on Friday, Putin also added the condition that there would be no further Russian invasions 'if you don't cheat us like you cheated us with NATO's eastward expansion'.

Putin has long accused NATO of going back on an alleged 1990 Western promise to then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev before the fall of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev later denied that such a remark had been made.

The 'Direct Line' marathon combined questions from the public and journalists from across Russia, with Putin sitting beneath a map of Russia that encompassed occupied areas of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

Russian state television claimed more than three million questions had been submitted.

On the same day, Ukrainian officials reported that seven people were killed and 15 injured in a Russian missile strike on Ukraine's southern Odesa region. Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Although the 'Direct Line' appeared choreographed, some critical comments from the public were displayed on a big screen, including one that referred to the event as a 'circus'.

Putin also addressed Russia's faltering economy, with rising prices and a planned increase in VAT from 20% to 22% on January 1. One message read: 'Stop the crazy rise in prices on everything!'

The Kremlin regularly uses this end-of-year event to highlight the economy’s resilience, as Putin spoke while Russia's central bank announced a decrease in interest rates to 16%.

Mixed with foreign policy discussions were lighter topics, but the backdrop of nearly four years of war in Ukraine loomed throughout.

Putin insisted he is 'ready and willing' to end the conflict peacefully, yet offered little indication of any compromise, reiterating demands for Ukrainian forces to vacate four occupied regions and cease efforts to join NATO.

Chief among Russia’s demands remains full control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

Putin ridiculed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the frontlines, claiming Russia was making advances. He also demanded that new elections in Ukraine be part of any proposed peace deal.

Towards the end of the televised marathon, Putin was asked about various personal topics, which he navigated with a mix of humor and detachment, including a declaration of his belief in love at first sight.