MOSCOW, Dec 29 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday told his army to press on with a campaign to take full control of the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine after a Russian commander said Moscow's forces were 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) from its biggest city.

Donald Trump is growing increasingly frustrated with Vladimir Putin and sees him as a bigger obstacle to peace in Ukraine than Volodymyr Zelensky, according to sources.

Follow live updates from NBC News as Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at his annual year-end news conference on Ukraine, peace, war and Trump.

Donald Trump could not help but talk up Vladimir Putin’s intentions during a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday. While the two leaders were meeting to discuss peace efforts to end the Ukraine war – which Putin started with his February 2022 invasion – the US president once again appeared to side with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual marathon press conference is perhaps best summarized as a mashup of a municipal board meeting and geopolitical talkfest. The Kremlin leader makes sweeping pronouncements about the current global order ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks at the annual board meeting of the country's Defense Ministry in Moscow, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures ...