Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow would refrain from launching new attacks on other nations provided his country is treated ‘with respect.’
The Kremlin made the remarks during his annual televised press conference in Moscow as concerns persist among European nations that Russia poses a security threat, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
‘Will there be new special military operations? There will be no operations if you treat us with respect, if you observe our interests, just as we have constantly tried to observe yours,’ Putin said.
Putin uses the phrase ‘special military operation’ to describe Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, according to AFP.
He added there would be no further Russian invasions ‘if you don’t cheat us like you cheated us with NATO’s eastward expansion,’ according to the BBC.
The Russian leader also claimed he was ‘ready and willing’ to end the war in Ukraine ‘peacefully,’ though he offered few details suggesting a willingness to compromise, the BBC reported.
The yearly news conference, which typically runs at least four hours, features questions from reporters and members of the public across Russia.
More than 2.5 million questions were submitted for this year’s event, which focused heavily on the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Putin also noted during the event that the nation’s ‘troops are advancing’ and expressed confidence that Russia will accomplish its objectives through military means if Ukraine does not assent to Russia’s terms during peace talks, according to The Associated Press.
‘Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors,’ Putin declared.
As the war drags on, the European Union has just agreed to provide Ukraine with a loan of over $105 billion.
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.