Putin says thousands of Ukrainian soldiers desert daily at St Petersburg press conference

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a press briefing at the St Petersburg economic forum and answered questions about the war in Ukraine. He claimed Russian troops are advancing daily, having recently taken control of roughly 2,440 sq km of Ukrainian-held territory.

Putin asserted that Ukrainian forces are suffering a "catastrophic personnel shortage," losing about 10,000 soldiers each month and seeing roughly 20,000 desert the army every month, adding that "they have no motivation at all." He said Russia is prepared to negotiate a peace settlement but only on terms that favour Russia, referencing a proposed meeting in Alaska in the summer of 2025 that failed to produce an agreement.