Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev delivers a speech to delegates during the plenary session of the 22th Congress of United Russia Party, December 14, 2024, in Moscow, Russia.
NEWSMAX | Published March 5, 2025
Russia’s main task remains to inflict “maximum defeat” on Ukraine, former president Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.
“Russia is advancing. The enemy is resisting and has not yet been defeated,” said Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council. “Inflicting maximum defeat on the enemy ‘on the ground’ remains our main task today.”
Medvedev said he expected the United States to resume military aid to Ukraine, which it suspended on Monday, once Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a minerals agreement with Washington.
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SOURCE: www.newsmax.com
RELATED: Medvedev Makes Russia’s Plan Clear: ‘Inflicting Maximum Defeat’
NEWSWEEK | Published March 5, 2025
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said Moscow’s “main task today” remains “inflicting maximum defeat” on Ukraine.
Medvedev, a former president and prime minister of Russia, made the comments on Russian social network VK on Wednesday morning.
“Russia is advancing. The enemy is resisting and has not yet been defeated,” Medvedev’s post said, adding that stopping the war would mean the end of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s leadership and government.
“Therefore, inflicting maximum defeat on the enemy ‘on the battlefield’ remains our main task today.”
Newsweek emailed the press offices of the Ukrainian presidency and the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has regularly said he thinks his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, wants peace. Trump has been pushing for a swift end to Russia’s war on Ukraine and has criticized the vast destruction and loss of life as well as the substantial cost to American taxpayers of supporting Ukraine’s defense.
Zelensky has also said he wants a “guaranteed peace.” European leaders, in particular U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, are drawing up their own proposals for a truce to present to Trump.
What to Know
Washington and Kyiv have been working on signing a critical minerals deal that would give the U.S. a direct economic stake in the future of Ukraine.
Ukraine wants the U.S. to go further and offer security guarantees that would deter Russian aggression in the future.
After a clash at an Oval Office meeting on February 28, in which the minerals deal was supposed to be signed but wasn’t because of a public dispute over the security guarantees and perceived disrespect, Zelensky sent a letter to Trump expressing his desire to move forward.
Trump touted the letter in his address to Congress on Tuesday night and said he appreciated that Zelensky sent it.
“The letter reads: ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer,'” Trump said. “‘Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians.'”
The U.S. has paused its vital military aid to Ukraine after the spat with Zelensky.
Responding to Trump’s address, Medvedev wrote on VK that signing the minerals deal would mean “American arms deliveries will most likely resume” immediately.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump speaking to Congress: “I appreciate that [Zelensky] sent this letter. I just got it a little while ago. Simultaneously, we’ve had serious discussions with Russia. Then I’ve received strong signals that they are ready for peace…If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky writing on X: “I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace. None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaking to reporters in February: “President Putin has been repeating his words about his readiness for peace talks from the very beginning. The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. And, of course, we prefer peaceful means to achieve our goals.”
What Happens Next
The signs are there that the U.S. and Ukraine will sign the anticipated minerals deal. This may unlock the pause in U.S. military aid, though that is yet to be confirmed, and it remains to be seen how the two sides will bridge the gap on security guarantees.
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