Putin threatens new offensive in Ukraine while teasing peace talks

Putin made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since sending the troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday alternated threats of a new Russian offensive to grab more Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin’s readiness for peace talks.

Speaking during a far-ranging meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers, he made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since sending the troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago.

Here is a quick look at some of Putin’s key statements:

Putin asserted that Ukraine has suffered “catastrophic” losses in its counteroffensive.

He said Ukrainian troops amassed reserves to launch the “large-scale” operation on June 4, but he claimed that the effort has failed to score gains and that Ukraine has lost 10 times more soldiers than Russia. His claims could not be verified.

Putin declared that Ukraine lost 160 battle tanks and over 300 other armored vehicles, while Russia only lost 54 tanks. He alleged that the Ukrainian armor losses represented 25% to 30% of the number of Western armored vehicles supplied to Ukraine.

He noted with a smirk that German-made Leopard battle tanks and U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles “are burning really well,” adding that leaders in Kyiv must now realize the disastrous consequences of the counteroffensive.