Vladimir Putin defies Trump's Ukraine peace plan with intense New Year message

Russian Leader Vladimir Putin gave a New Year's message angled towards his troops in Ukraine as he defied Donald Trump's efforts to find peace

Vladimir Putin vowed victory in the Ukraine war in his New Year message.

As 2026 arrived in the extreme east of Russia, his message was angled to his troops with a tone which defied efforts to find peace in Ukraine. The warmonger leader said: “I congratulate all our soldiers and commanders on the upcoming New Year! We believe in you and our victory.”

He was speaking less than two weeks before his war in Ukraine will have lasted longer than the 1,418 days Josef Stalin led the Soviet Union in the Second World War in Europe between 1941-45.

Putin’s bloody conflict which has seen more than one million dead and maimed will have lasted longer by 12 January 2026. The following month on 22 February, the debilitating war will reach four years.

The Russian ruler appears to be determined to go on fighting and scuttle peace moves from Donald Trump while pretending to engage with them.

Russian fighters “have taken on the responsibility of fighting for your homeland, for truth and justice”, he said in a patriotic-charged message. “At this moment, as the New Year approaches, we all feel the passage of time.“The future lies ahead of us, and what it will be like depends largely on us.”

He vowed “to support our heroes, the participants in the special military operation, with words and deeds”.The message was filmed at the Kremlin with Putin, 73, wearing heavy make-up.

He told Russians: “The future lies ahead of us, and what it will be like depends largely on us. We rely on our own strength and on those who are close to us, who are dear to us.”

In a separate message, ex-president Dmitry Medvedev - Putin’s security council deputy - said of victory in Ukraine: “I sincerely believe that it is near.”Echoing Putin he spoke of “our great and invincible Russia”.

Overnight Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday.

Four apartment buildings were damaged in the Odesa bombardment, according to regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. The DTEK power provider said two of its energy facilities had significant damage. The company said 10 substations that distribute electricity in the region have been damaged in December.

Russia has escalated attacks on urban areas of Ukraine and it has also intensified targeting of energy infrastructure, seeking to deny Ukrainians heat and running water in the bitter winter months.