{
  "id": 4975168,
  "title": "Putin says Russia is winning on battlefield, will not negotiate with ‘terrorists’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/putin-says-russia-is-winning-on-battlefield-will-not-negotiate-with-4975168",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T23:45:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/09/02/putin-says-russia-is-winning-on-battlefield-will-not-negotiate-with-terrorists"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin declared on Tuesday that Russia is triumphing in the war in Ukraine and described Ukrainian leaders as \"terrorists\" with whom Moscow could not engage in negotiations. In his most comprehensive remarks on the conflict in weeks, Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks inside Russia had resulted in real damage, with drones posing a significant challenge. He confidently stated that Russia was making gains on the battlefield and assured reporters, \"I have no doubt the enemy will crumble.\" However, he did not provide a timeline for when this would occur. Rumors suggesting that Russia might be compelled to initiate a new military draft were dismissed by Putin as mere nonsense.\n\nRussia currently controls approximately one-fifth of Ukraine after four and a half years of warfare. In August, Russian forces captured 270 square kilometers in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, and two substantial groups of Ukrainian troops - one consisting of 4,500 to 4,800 soldiers, and another with up to 2,000 men - were cornered, according to Putin. Reuters could not independently verify these claims. The Russian military is advancing towards the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, and Moscow is preparing to launch large-scale attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Putin added.\n\nPutin dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's warning to airlines that Ukrainian drones would effectively cut off Russian airspace as \"state terrorism,\" stating that Moscow would find a way to respond if such a situation arose. He reiterated that Moscow was open to talks aimed at ending the war, rather than simply freezing it, and expressed willingness to engage with US President Donald Trump's envoys. Putin emphasized that Russia would avoid inconclusive negotiations and stressed the importance of constructive contributions to the process. Meanwhile, Putin refuted a German government accusation that Russia was responsible for a recent attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport, claiming it was an attempt to divert attention from domestic issues and falling approval ratings.",
  "summary": "Vladimir Putin remains confident the enemy will crumble as polls show growing war fatigue and economic warnings mount.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}