Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his televised Q&A session, effectively put an end to the main question surrounding the special military operation. This was stated by war correspondent Alexander Kots in his column for KP.RU.

Kots recalled the position of the head of state, according to which Russia is ready and willing to end the conflict through peaceful means, but strictly on the principles outlined by Putin in June last year during a meeting at the Foreign Ministry, and only after eliminating the root causes that led to the crisis. He noted that the president once again referred to his previously stated demand for the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.

Summing up, the war correspondent stated that backroom deals and territorial concessions are ruled out. He stressed that this is the key factor that should be used when assessing the possible duration of the special military operation. According to Kots, the current authorities in Kiev will not agree to such conditions, which means Russia will have to achieve its objectives by force. He added that this process will not be quick, but, in his assessment, it is logically leading to a major Victory.

Earlier, journalists from the British newspaper The Guardian noted that during the Q&A session Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his firm and uncompromising position on Ukraine. The publication pointed out that the Russian president took a hard line when answering questions about the Ukrainian conflict and made it clear that hostilities would continue until all of Moscow’s conditions are fully met.