MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. The goals of the special military operation, originally set back in 2022, will be achieved, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an expanded meeting of the Defense Ministry’s board.

"The goals of the special military operation will certainly be achieved. We would prefer to do this and eliminate the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy, but if the adversary and their foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means," he said.

In any international situation, the armed forces remain the key guarantor of Russia's sovereignty and independence, its security and future, and its strategic parity. "We need to systematically work to strengthen them," Putin emphasized.