The Kremlin has once again stated that it is ready to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump without any "preconditions", but noted that Putin's negotiating position remains unchanged.
This is stated in an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded on January 10 to Trump's statement about organizing a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and stated that Putin is open to contacts with international leaders and that "no conditions are required for this contact".
However, Peskov reiterated that the Kremlin stands by its "repeatedly expressed" his position on Ukraine, which Putin explicitly set out in June 2024 and reiterated in his presentation on "Direct Line" on December 19.
In June 2024, Putin demanded that Ukraine remove Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government under the guise of "denazification", demilitarize, and cede to Russia significant portions of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine, including areas of Ukraine that Russia does not currently occupy - all of which effectively amounts to a complete surrender of Ukraine.
No negotiations will lead to a meaningful or sustainable peace as long as Putin continues to adhere to these demands - regardless of "readiness" the Kremlin to hold talks with Western leaders.
On the night of January 9-10, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian ammunition and drone depot in the Rostov region.
The BBC Russian Service reported on January 10 that a joint investigation conducted with the Russian opposition newspaper "Medizona", using open source data, had confirmed that at least 88,055 Russian soldiers had been killed in Ukraine since February 2022.
Russian forces have recently advanced into the Kursk region and near Kupyansk, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhovo.
The EU recently transferred three billion euros (about $3.07 billion) to Ukraine - the first tranche of EU funding from profits from frozen Russian assets.