President Vladimir Putin has emphasized that Moscow’s troops are advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and has voiced confidence that the Kremlin will achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn't agree to Russia’s conditions in peace talks.

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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is almost certain to comment on Moscow's war against Ukraine and on US-led efforts to end the conflict at a closely choreographed end-of-year appearance that will likely last several hours.

Dec 19 (Reuters) - Sarcastic messages ‌briefly ​flashed up on ‌a big screen in the hall ​where Russian President Vladimir Putin was holding ‍his annual press conference ​and "direct line" phone-in on Friday. "Not ​a ⁠direct line, but a circus," said one such comment.

EXCLUSIVE: Speaking as EU leaders gathered in Brussels, Yuriy Boyechko described Putin's rhetoric as "not merely posturing" but a precursor to escalation

Vladimir Putin was silenced for 34 seconds as he started a major speech to world leaders in an apparent microphone blunder. The Russian dictator looked visibly annoyed as his microphone failed to work at the International Forum on Peace and Trust session in Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat.

A question from a journalist drew a sharp, almost offhand answer from the Russian president, pulling a UK media dispute into the wider Trump-Putin headline cycle.