Sarcastic messages flash up on big screen as Putin speaks

Putin offers no compromise on Ukraine, says EU 'robbery' failed

EU agrees 90b euro loan for Ukraine, without Russian assets

FE Team | Published: December 19, 2025 21:39:09

MOSCOW, Dec 19 (Reuters): 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.
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.
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He said he did not see readiness on the Ukrainian side to agree a peace deal, but there were "certain signals" it was willing to engage in dialogue.
"The only thing I want to say is that we have always said this: we are ready and willing to end this conflict peacefully, based on the principles I outlined last June at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and by addressing the root causes that led to this crisis," Putin said.
He was referring to a speech 18 months ago in which he demanded that Ukraine abandon its ambition of joining the NATO military alliance and withdraw entirely from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own territory. Kyiv refuses to give up land that Moscow's forces have failed to capture in nearly four years of war.
Putin was speaking hours after European Union leaders set aside a plan to use as backing for a loan to Ukraine, deciding instead to borrow cash to help fund Kyiv's defence against Russia for the next two years.
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.
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.
"Theft is not the appropriate term... It's daylight robbery. Why can't this robbery be carried out? Because the consequences could be grave for the robbers," he said.
"This isn't just a blow to their image; it's an undermining of trust in the euro zone, and the fact that many countries, not just Russia, but primarily oil-producing countries, store their gold and foreign exchange reserves in the euro zone."
After nearly four years, the war stands at a delicate juncture as US President Donald Trump pushes for a peace deal on terms that Ukraine and its European allies fear will be slanted towards Russia.
Russia says it is waiting to hear from Washington how its draft peace proposals have been modified following consultations between the United States, Ukraine and the Europeans.
Meanwhile, sarcastic messages briefly flashed up on a big screen in the hall where Russian President Vladimir Putin was holding his annual press conference and "direct line" phone-in on Friday.
"Not a direct line, but a circus," said one such comment.
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Another, using Putin's first name and patronymic, read: "Vladimir Vladimirovich, it's Friday already, can we break out the booze?"
The rogue comments appeared on screens showing incoming text messages intended for Putin at the marathon annual event, for which ordinary Russians are encouraged to submit questions.
The Kremlin did not immediately comment on their appearance at what is a meticulously planned and choreographed press conference watched by millions of Russians. Putin did not refer to them.
One message, alluding to the state of Russia's economy, asked why ordinary Russians were worse off than people in Papua New Guinea.
Earlier, EU leaders struck a deal Friday to provide Ukraine a loan of 90 billion euros to plug its looming budget shortfalls -- but failed to agree on using frozen Russian assets to come up with the funds.
The middle-of-the-night agreement reached at summit talks in Brussels offers Kyiv a desperately needed lifeline as US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end Russia's nearly four-year war.
"Today's decision will provide Ukraine with the necessary means to defend itself and to support the Ukrainian people," European Council head Antonio Costa, who chaired the summit, said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X that the deal "is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience," adding: "It is important that Russian assets remain immobilized and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years."
In a post on Telegram, the Kremlin's top economic negotiator Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the failure to "illegitimately use Russian assets to finance Ukraine," adding that "for the time being, the law and common sense have won a victory."
After scrambling around for a solution, EU leaders settled on a loan for the next two years backed by the bloc's common budget.
The number one option on the table had been to tap around 200 billion euros of Russian central bank assets frozen in the EU to generate a loan for Kyiv.
But that scheme fell by the wayside after Belgium, where the bulk of the assets are held, demanded guarantees on sharing liability -- something that proved too much for other countries.