Putin Says Draft Vital to Hold Ukraine Front Line but Will End Soon

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a news conference following the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders' summit in Astana, Kazakhstan October 14, 2022. (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a news conference following the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders' summit in Astana, Kazakhstan October 14, 2022. (Reuters)
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Putin Says Draft Vital to Hold Ukraine Front Line but Will End Soon

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a news conference following the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders' summit in Astana, Kazakhstan October 14, 2022. (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a news conference following the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders' summit in Astana, Kazakhstan October 14, 2022. (Reuters)

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia's call-up of reserve forces to fight in Ukraine, criticized as chaotic by some Kremlin allies, had been vital to hold the front line but would be wound up in the next couple of weeks.

Russia has conducted a broad mobilization of Russians to reinforce its long front after Ukraine won back territory in recent weeks. Moscow has also threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend territory including four regions of Ukraine it annexed late last month but does not fully control.

"The line of contact is 1,100 km (680 miles), so it is practically impossible to hold it with forces formed only of contract soldiers, especially since they take part in offensive activities," Putin told a news conference at the end of a summit in Kazakhstan, adding that those mobilized were being properly trained.

Putin said there were no plans for new massive strikes on Ukraine "for now" after what Ukraine said was the firing of 100 Russian cruise missiles this week, mainly at its electricity and heat infrastructure.

It was Russia's biggest air assault yet in a nearly eight-month conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.

"We do not set ourselves the task of destroying Ukraine. No, of course not," Putin said, describing the war he started on Feb. 24 as unpleasant but saying he had no regrets.

Putin's comments will add to speculation that Russia's supply of cruise missiles is dwindling.

Over the next two weeks, he said, Russia would wind up the mobilization, which has been criticized by some of the Kremlin's hardline nationalist allies and led thousands of Russians to flee to neighboring countries to avoid service.

Most of the 300,000 people due to be called up had been, Putin added.

He also repeated the Kremlin position that Russia was willing to hold talks to end what it calls a special military operation, although he said talks would require international mediation if Ukraine was willing to take part.

Taken together, Putin's comments appeared to suggest a slight softening of his tone as the war nears the end of its eighth month, after weeks of Ukrainian advances and significant Russian defeats.

Belarus alert

Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in late August against Russian forces occupying the country since the start of their invasion in February, pushing them out of a large part of the northeast and putting them under heavy pressure in the south.

Moscow's close ally Belarus ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near Ukraine this week, prompting concern it may send its forces across the border for the first time.

On Friday President Alexander Lukashenko placed Belarus in what he called a state of heightened terrorism alert due to tension on its borders. Ukraine has denied attacking Belarus.

Kyiv's main focus now is Kherson - one of four partially occupied Ukrainian provinces that Russia claims to have annexed in recent weeks, and arguably the most strategically important.

Russia's TASS news agency said evacuees from the Kherson region were expected to begin arriving in Russia on Friday, a day after a Russian-installed official suggested people could flee to Russia, especially those around Kherson city.

While some people in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine have fled to Russia as Ukrainian forces advance, others have reported being forced towards Russia and others still have fled westward to Ukrainian-controlled parts of their country.

Strategic target

A flight of civilians from Kherson would be a blow to Russia's claim last month to have annexed around 15% of Ukraine's territory and incorporated an area the size of Portugal into Russia. Three quarters of UN members condemned the move as illegal on Wednesday.

Kherson city, the only major conurbation Russia has captured intact since invading in February, controls the only land route to the Crimea peninsula seized by Russia in 2014 and the mouth of the Dnipro river that bisects Ukraine.

Since the start of October, Ukrainian forces have burst through Russia's front lines in the region in their biggest advance in the south since the war began, aiming to cut Russian troops off from supply lines and escape routes across the river.

Ukraine said earlier on Friday that its armed forces had retaken 600 settlements in the past month, including 75 in the Kherson region and 43 in the eastern Donetsk region.

Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the battlefield reports.

Kherson lies next to the Zaporizhzhia region, also claimed by Russia, where Europe's biggest nuclear power plant is based.

A Russian-installed official said the plant was now working according to Russian standards. It was not clear if Ukrainian workers, who had continued operating the plant under the eye of Russian troops, were still there.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency tweeted separately that Russia and Ukraine were moving closer to agreeing a protection zone for the plant, where he said the situation was "untenable".

Moscow says the conflict, which has left cities, towns and villages in ruins, aims to demilitarize a country whose moves towards the West threaten Russia's own security. Kyiv and its Western allies say it is an unprovoked war of conquest.

A British intelligence update said forces led by the private Russian military company Wagner Group had captured two villages south of the fiercely-contested eastern town of Bakhmut over the past three days, their only such seizures in months.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported ongoing "brutal" fighting there in a video address late on Thursday.



World Leaders React to Trump's Tariffs

Shipping containers are prepared for transport at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, USA, 02 April 2025. EPA/ALLISON DINNER
Shipping containers are prepared for transport at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, USA, 02 April 2025. EPA/ALLISON DINNER
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World Leaders React to Trump's Tariffs

Shipping containers are prepared for transport at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, USA, 02 April 2025. EPA/ALLISON DINNER
Shipping containers are prepared for transport at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, USA, 02 April 2025. EPA/ALLISON DINNER

US President Donald Trump said he would impose a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the United States and higher duties on some of the country's biggest trading partners, drawing defiant responses from leaders and governments around the world.

Trump is not imposing his new 10% global tariff rate on goods from top trading partners Canada and Mexico while his previous order remains in place for up to 25% tariffs on many goods from the two countries over border control and fentanyl trafficking issues, the White House said in a fact sheet.

Here are some reactions from top officials and governments around the world: EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN "President Trump's announcement of universal tariffs on the whole world, including the EU, is a major blow to the world economy.Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism. The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe.We are already finalizing a first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel. And we are now preparing for further countermeasures, to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail."

CHINA COMMERCE MINISTRY "China firmly opposes this and will take countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests.There are no winners in trade wars, and there is no way out for protectionism. China urges the US to immediately lift unilateral tariffs and properly resolve differences with its trading partners through dialogue on an equal footing."

JAPAN PRIME MINISTER SHIGERU ISHIBA "The US government's broad trade restrictions will have a significant impact not only on the economic relationship between Japan and the US, but also on the global economy and the multilateral trading system as a whole.We have serious concerns about the consistency of these measures with the WTO Agreement and the Japan-US Trade Agreement.We will continue to strongly urge the US to review its measures."

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY "(Trump) has preserved a number of important elements of our relationship, the commercial relationship between Canada and the United States. But the fentanyl tariffs still remain in place, as do the tariffs for steel and aluminum.We are going to fight these tariffs with countermeasures, we are going to protect our workers, and we are going to build the strongest economy in the G7."

BRAZILIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY "The Brazilian government regrets the decision made by the North American government today, April 2, to impose additional tariffs of no more than 10% on all Brazilian exports to that country.The Brazilian government is evaluating all possible actions to ensure reciprocity in bilateral trade, including resorting to the World Trade Organization, in defense of legitimate national interests."

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE "The (Trump) administration's tariffs have no basis in logic and they go against the basis of our two nations' partnership. This is not the act of a friend. Today's decision will add to uncertainty in the global economy and it will push up costs for American households."

SOUTH KOREAN ACTING PRESIDENT HAN DUCK-SOO "As the global trade war has become a reality, the government must pour all its capabilities to overcome the trade crisis."

NEW ZEALAND TRADE MINISTER TODD MCCLAY "New Zealand's interests are best served in a world where trade flows freely ... New Zealand's bilateral relationship with the US remains strong. We will be talking with the administration to get more information, and our exporters to better understand the impact this announcement will have."

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER PEDRO SANCHEZ "Spain will protect its companies and workers and will continue to be committed to an open world."

SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER ULF KRISTERSSON "We don't want growing trade barriers. We don't want a trade war ... We want to find our way back to a path of trade and cooperation together with the US, so that people in our countries can enjoy a better life."

SWISS PRESIDENT KARIN KELLER-SUTTER "(The Federal Council) will quickly determine the next steps. The country's long-term economic interests are paramount. Adherence to international law and free trade remain core values."

IRISH PRIME MINISTER MICHEAL MARTIN "The decision by the US tonight to impose 20% tariffs on imports from across the European Union is deeply regrettable. I strongly believe that tariffs benefit no one. My priority, and that of the government, is to protect Irish jobs and the Irish economy."

ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI "We will do everything we can to work towards an agreement with the United States, with the goal of avoiding a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favor of other global players."

MANFRED WEBER, PRESIDENT OF THE EPP, LARGEST PARTY IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT "To our American friends, today isn't liberation day - it's resentment day. Donald Trump's tariffs don't defend fair trade; they attack it out of fear and hurt both sides of the Atlantic. Europe stands united, ready to defend its interests, and open to fair, firm talks."

COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT GUSTAVO PETRO "We will only make US imports more expensive if they take away our jobs. But we won't raise tariffs if their goods help create higher-value jobs."