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President Vladimir Putin has doubled down on his core demands for an end to the war in Ukraine, saying Russia will only lay down its weapons if Kiev troops withdraw from territory claimed by Moscow.
Putin has long pushed for legal recognition of Ukrainian territory seized by Russia by force.
These include the Crimean peninsula, which was illegally annexed in 2014, and the Donbass, which consists of Luhansk and Donetsk, most of which is currently occupied by Moscow.
For Kyiv, which has ruled out giving up the parts of Donbas it still holds, rewarding Russian aggression is out of the question.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, Putin reiterated his view that Russia holds the initiative on the battlefield and that the fighting will only end when Ukrainian troops withdraw from the warring territories.
“If they don’t withdraw, we will achieve this through force,” he said.
However, Russia’s slow progress in eastern Ukraine has come at a significant human cost. At this rate, it would take Moscow nearly two years to capture the rest of the Donetsk region, according to the U.S. Institute of War Studies.
Thursday’s speech was the first time Putin addressed last week’s tense diplomatic moves, which saw the United States and Ukraine engage in heated discussions over a peace plan reportedly drafted by U.S. and Russian officials in October.
The plan was heavily tilted towards Moscow’s demands and was later revised. However, it is not seen as resolving the issue of the occupied territories, which is the biggest sticking point between Moscow and Kiev in addition to security guarantees in Ukraine.
Putin said the new draft plan had now been shown to Russia and could become the “basis” for a future deal to end the war.
However, he added that it was “absolutely necessary” to discuss “certain specific issues that require diplomatic language”.
Asked about the possibility of Crimea and Donbas being recognized as under Russian jurisdiction actually control But not legally, Putin said: “This is the focus of our discussions with our American counterparts”.
He confirmed that a US delegation, including special envoy Steve Witkoff, was expected to arrive in Moscow in the first half of next week. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may travel to Moscow with Witkov.
Meanwhile, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will visit Kiev later this week, top Ukrainian presidential aide Andrei Yermak said.
Trump said on Wednesday that “only a few points of disagreement remain” between Russia and Ukraine, suggesting that any meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the issues would be contingent on a peace deal being reached.
Speaking to reporters, Putin once again expressed his disdain for Ukraine’s leadership, which he considers illegitimate. He added that there was therefore “no use” in signing any documents with them.
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, making it impossible to hold scheduled elections. Earlier this year, Ukraine’s parliament voted unanimously to confirm the legitimacy of President Zelensky, whose term ended in the spring.
Putin also dismissed warnings from European leaders that Russia could attack the continent in the coming decades.
“It’s really laughable to us,” he said.
The White House and Donald Trump have expressed optimism about recent diplomatic efforts to advance peace talks, but Europeans have repeatedly expressed doubts about whether Putin truly intends to end the war.
Wednesday European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accuses Russia of persisting in post-World War II mentality and viewed the European continent as a “sphere of influence” within which sovereign states could be “carved up.”
