Putin tells his annual news conference that the Kremlin's military goals will be achieved in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow’s troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine, voicing confidence that the Kremlin's military goals would be achieved. Speaking at his highly orchestrated year-end news conference, Putin declared that Russian forces have “fully seized strategic initiative” and would make more gains by the year's end. Russia's larger, better-equipped army has made slow but steady progress in Ukraine in recent months.