Vladimir Putin says no need for massive new strikes on Ukraine

Name: Faces of fallen Russian soldiers on billboards in Moscow suburb as war scepticism grows
Uploaded: 2022-10-14T17:24:22.000Z
Duration: 1 min 57 s
Description: Faces of fallen Russian soldiers on billboards in Moscow suburb as war scepticism grows

The Russian leader also said his call-up of reservists would be over within 2 weeks and there were no plans for a further mobilisation

Putin added that Moscow was willing to hold talks, in remarks that suggest a softening of tone amid a series of Russian defeats

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Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media in Astana, Kazakhstan on Friday. Photo: Sputnik via AP

Reuters

Published: 1:24am, 15 Oct 2022Updated: 2:25am, 15 Oct 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday there was no need for massive new strikes on Ukraine and that Russia was not looking to destroy the country.

Putin told a news conference at the end of a summit in Kazakhstan that his call-up of Russian reservists would be over within two weeks and there were no plans for a further mobilisation.

He also repeated the Kremlin position that Russia was willing to hold talks, although he said they would require international mediation if Ukraine was prepared 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. Wall Street shares opened higher as traders interpreted them as easing geopolitical tensions.

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Faces of fallen Russian soldiers on billboards in Moscow suburb as war scepticism grows

But Putin – who has said he would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia’s “territorial integrity” – also warned of a “global catastrophe” in the event of a direct clash of Nato troops with Russia.