Photos of Hindu devotees celebrating Chhath festival in India

NEW DELHI, India (AP) — Hindu devotees are gathering at rivers and bodies of water across India to pray to the sun god, Lord Surya, as part of the Chhath festival this week.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Indian Hindu devotees perform rituals in the the river Brahmaputra during the Chhath Puja festival in Guwahati, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A person rests on the sand bags as devotees arrive on the banks of the river Yamuna during Chhath festival, which is celebrated for the well-being and prosperity of one's family, in New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Women wait to perform prayers during Chhath festival on the banks of the river Yamuna, in New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Devotees perform rituals on the banks of the river Yamuna during the Chhath festival, which is celebrated for the well-being and prosperity of one's family, in New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Hindu devotees perform rituals at sunset in the River Sabarmati during Chhath Puja festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

A devotee prostrates and performs rituals on his way to the River Yamuna during the Chhath festival, which is celebrated for the well-being and prosperity of one's family, in New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Indian Hindu devotees perform rituals in the the river Brahmaputra during the Chhath Puja festival in Guwahati, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Hindu devotees perform rituals at sunset in the River Sabarmati during Chhath Puja festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Hindu devotees perform rituals at sunset on the banks of the Tawi River during Chhath Puja festival in Jammu, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.(AP Photo/Channi Anand)

A woman devotee takes a dip after praying to the sun in the river Yamuna during the Chhath festival, which is celebrated for the well-being and prosperity of one's family, in New Delhi, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

An Indian Hindu devotee prostrates and performs rituals on his way to the River Brahmaputra during the Chhath Puja festival in Guwahati, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A Hindu devotee performs rituals at sunset on the banks of the Tawi River during Chhath Puja festival in Jammu, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Indian Hindu devotees perform rituals in the the river Brahmaputra during the Chhath Puja festival in Guwahati, India, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin emphasized Friday that Moscow’s troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn't agree to Russia's conditions in peace talks.

Speaking at his tightly orchestrated annual news conference that lasted about 4 1/2 hours, Putin declared that Russian forces have “fully seized strategic initiative” and would make more gains by year's end.

In the early days of the conflict in 2022, Ukraine's forces thwarted an attempt by Russia’s larger, better-equipped army, to capture the capital of Kyiv. But the fighting soon settled into grinding battles, and Moscow's troops have made slow and steady progress over the years. Putin frequently touts this progress — even though it's not the lightning advance many expected.

“Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors,” Putin said at the live news conference, which is combined with a nationwide call-in show that offers Russians across the country the opportunity to ask questions of their leader.

Putin, 73, has ruled the country for 25 years and uses the event to cement his power and air his views on domestic and global affairs.

This year, the news conference took place against the backdrop of a peace plan in Ukraine put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite the extensive diplomatic push, Washington’s efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.

While the event has previously focused heavily on domestic questions — and has offered Putin a chance to expound on topics from the price of eggs to water cuts — Ukraine dominated it this year. Since it is highly choreographed, that could reflect the Kremlin’s desire to assuage the public after nearly four years of fighting.

Putin reaffirmed that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would address the “root causes” of the conflict, a reference to the Kremlin’s tough conditions for a deal.

The Russian leader wants all the areas in four key regions captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He has also insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow’s forces haven’t captured yet. Kyiv has publicly rejected all these demands.

The Kremlin has also insisted that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and warned that it wouldn't accept the deployment of any troops from members of the military alliance members and would view them as “legitimate target.”

Putin also has repeatedly said Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language — demands he has made from the outset of the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed readiness to drop Ukraine’s bid to join NATO if the U.S. and other Western nations give Kyiv security guarantees similar to those offered to alliance members. But at the same time, he has emphasized that Ukraine believes NATO membership remains the best security guarantee.

″The United States don’t see us in NATO, for now," Zelenskyy said this week. “Politicians change.”

Commenting on Zelenskyy's statement that he was ready to call a presidential election if a ceasefire is established, Putin responded that Russia has held elections without demanding a truce. He said that Moscow was ready to consider the issue and could agree to halt attacks deep inside Ukraine on the election day, but noted that millions of Ukrainians living in Russia must have the right to vote.

Putin rebuffed Western claims about purported Russian plans to attack European nations as “sheer nonsense” aimed at deflecting public attention from domestic problems.

He particularly singled out NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte for his statements about the Kremlin's aggressive intentions, pointing out Trump's recently published national security strategy that doesn’t name Russia as a direct adversary. “How can you prepare NATO for a war with Russia if the main member of NATO doesn't consider us as an enemy?” Putin said.

He alleged that European elites “impudently” backed Trump's Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and now hope the U.S. political landscape will change after the midterm elections to Congress, helping raise pressure on the White House.

As it faces grinding Russian advances across the front line and relentless attacks on its energy facilities, Ukraine is on the verge of bankruptcy — and it desperately needs more cash from its Western allies.

On Friday, European Union leaders agreed to provide a massive interest-free loan, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.

The leaders tried to reassure Belgium, where most of the frozen assets are held, that they would protect it from any retaliation from Moscow if it backed the plan, but the leaders eventually opted to borrow the money on capital markets.

Putin said using Russian assets to help Kyiv would have amounted to “robbery,” adding that the move would have spooked investors, “dealing not only an image blow but undermining confidence in the eurozone.”

Putin told the audience the flow of volunteer soldiers has remained strong, topping 400,000 this year. It was not possible to independently verify that claim since little is known about the recruitment effort.

But the government offers relatively high pay and extensive benefits that have helped swell troop ranks. The Kremlin says that it exclusively relies on volunteers to fight in Ukraine, but some media reports and rights groups have said that military officers often coerce conscripts into signing military contracts.

Asked by a soldier’s widow about the slowness in paying out a pension, Putin apologized and vowed that the issue would be quickly solved — an exchange typical of the annual event, which the Russian leader often uses to show his command of a wide array of subjects and his ability to solve problems.

The news conference featured questions from journalists in the Gostinny Dvor amphitheater as well as via video link from across Russia. A young man in a red bow tie who held a placard saying he wanted to get married used his question to Putin to propose to his girlfriend. Later, one of the anchors hosting the event reported that she had answered “yes,” and Putin joked about collecting money for the wedding.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, background center, speaks during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to attend his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

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)