Zelenskiy Speaks of War, Putin Makes Passing Reference in Contrasting New Year Speeches

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses Ukrainian people on the New Year's eve, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on December 31, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses Ukrainian people on the New Year's eve, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on December 31, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
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Zelenskiy Speaks of War, Putin Makes Passing Reference in Contrasting New Year Speeches

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses Ukrainian people on the New Year's eve, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on December 31, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses Ukrainian people on the New Year's eve, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on December 31, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy honored his people's resilience in times of bloodshed in a long and lyrical New Year speech, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin stressed his country's unity in a short and stern message that made only passing reference to the war.

The speeches - traditional Dec. 31 messages in both Russia and Ukraine - came as both countries marked the end of the year with increased air attacks on each other's territories. But neither side can point to any major frontline achievements in 2023.

"The major result of the year, its main achievement: Ukraine has become stronger," Zelenskiy said in a televised address interspersed with footage of cities under attack and meetings with leaders of Ukraine's Western allies.

Mentioning "war" 14 times in his 20-minute message, Zelenskiy also vowed, just like a year ago, that a free Ukraine would prevail.

"No matter how many rockets the enemy launches, no matter how many shellings and attacks - vile, merciless, massive - the enemy carries out in an attempt to break Ukrainians, intimidate, knock Ukraine down, drive it underground, we will still rise," he said, dressed in his trademark khaki outfit.

Comments by Putin, who faces an election in March, provided a sharp contrast to those of Zelenskiy and also to his own speech last year, when he cast the war as a near-existential fight.

This year, he called Russia's soldiers "our heroes," but did not mention Ukraine by name and did not refer to the "special military operation" - his term for the war his invasion unleashed in February 2022.

"We have proven more than once that we can solve the most difficult problems and will never retreat, because there is no force that can divide us," Putin said in a four-minute speech, dressed in a suit and a red tie against a backdrop of the Kremlin walls.

"We are one country, one big family."

The war - the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II - is nearing its second anniversary, with no end in sight. Thousands have been killed, millions of Ukrainians displaced and countless cities turned to rubble.

Neither Putin nor Zelenskiy referred to the 1,000-km (600-mile) front line where Kyiv's counteroffensive had little success and where Moscow has been pushing on with its most recent but slow offensive along the eastern flank aiming to take control of more Ukrainian territory.

And while Zelenskiy spoke of 6,000 or so air raid alerts in Ukraine in the past year, Putin made no mention of any attacks - not even an attack Russia says Ukraine carried out on Belgorod in recent days killing at least 24 civilians.

Both spoke of the strength of their countries and their people, with Putin saying the future common effort will make Russia and its people stronger and Zelenskiy saying the war had already showed the strength of Ukrainians.

"And just like last December 31, today, we say: 'We don't know for sure what the New Year will bring us'," Zelenskiy said. "But this year we can add: 'No matter what it brought, we will be stronger'."



China Promises Latin America ‘Trustworthy’ Ties as Trump Lays Out Demands 

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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China Promises Latin America ‘Trustworthy’ Ties as Trump Lays Out Demands 

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)

China will always be Latin America's "trustworthy" friend and partner, its foreign minister told his Bolivian counterpart, as Beijing looks to improve its foothold in a region historically under the US sphere of influence.

"Latin America is the home of the Latin American people, and is not any country's 'backyard,'" Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting at the United Nations on Tuesday, according to a statement from his ministry.

China wants to "continuously elevate the China-Bolivia strategic partnership", Wang told Bolivia's Foreign minister Celinda Sosa.

Bolivia, which established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1985, is among many countries in South America that have bonded economically with China through debt and investment.

The resource-rich country owes China, the world's biggest bilateral lender, over $1.7 billion according to World Bank data.

Chinese firms have invested a further $6 billion, statistics from the American Enterprise Institute think tank show, mostly in Bolivia's metals, energy and transport sectors.

US foreign direct investment in Bolivia stands at around $430 million, US State Department data shows, predominantly in the oil and gas and manufacturing sectors.

The US and China look set to go toe-to-toe in Central and South America over US President Donald Trump's second term, with Chinese investments in the region, particularly in energy and infrastructure, challenging US influence.

Trump took little time in taking Panama to task over the Central American state's ties to China after taking office, dispatching Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a message to end China's influence over the Panama Canal or face US action.

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino later said his country would not renew its membership of Chinese President Xi Jinping's flagship Belt and Road Initiative, to Beijing's chagrin.

Trump had refused to rule out the use of military force to take back the Panama Canal in the run up to Rubio's visit.

"China supports Latin American countries in defending their sovereignty, independence and national dignity," Wang said.

He also congratulated Bolivia on becoming a member of BRICS, a group of developing nations founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China to rival a Western-dominated world order. The group has since grown to also include South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump has repeatedly warned the BRICS not to challenge the dominance of "the mighty US dollar," and threatened members with a 100% tariff "if they want to play games with the dollar."

But Brazil last week joined the ranks of Latin American states to back down to one of Trump's demands - nixing plans to advance a common currency while it holds the BRICS presidency, lest it trigger a backlash from Trump.

China, Brazil's largest export market, buys almost $70 billion more from Latin America's biggest economy than the US does, according to UN COMTRADE data, but still does not want to put the $37 billion worth of goods it does sell to the American market on the line.

Trump has not held back on threatening to up-end trade ties with the region while China looks to cultivate deeper strategic partnerships with individual Latin American nations, offering the region an alternative pole of economic support.

He has also threatened Mexico and Colombia with punitive trade remedies if they did not take stronger action to curb illegal immigration into the US.

Mexico agreed to reinforce its northern border with 10,000 National Guard members to stem the flow of illegal migrants and drugs.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro backed down from a decision to turn away US military planes carrying deported migrants, pulling it back from back from the brink of a trade war with its biggest export market.