Vladimir Putin reiterated his basic and unwavering demands for an end to the war in Ukraine, stating that Russia will only stop operations if Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donbass and de facto Russian control over areas such as Crimea and eastern Ukraine is recognized. His remarks came as Washington and Kiev are working on a new version of a peace plan, with the U.S. side expecting a high-level meeting in Moscow in the coming days.

Moscow’s unyielding demands

Vladimir Putin, speaking to reporters during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, made it clear that Moscow will not end the war in Ukraine without the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass, which includes the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. “If they do not withdraw, we will achieve it through the force of arms,” he said, arguing that Russia “has the initiative” on the battlefield.

The Russian president also reiterated his longstanding demand for legal recognition of territories Russia has occupied since 2014, including Crimea and the parts of eastern Ukraine now under Russian control. Kiev has ruled out any talk of ceding territory, describing such claims as a “reward for aggression”. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said Russia “disdains efforts to bring about a real end to the war.”

The revised US peace plan

Despite the tough posturing, Putin acknowledged that Moscow has received a new peace plan, which he said “could form the basis” of a future agreement, provided certain “points that need to be put in diplomatic language” are discussed. The plan, originally drafted in October by US and Russian officials, was revised in Geneva during talks between the US and Ukraine, with the participation of European representatives. However, it does not appear to resolve the biggest stumbling block in the negotiations: the fate of the occupied Ukrainian territories and future security guarantees.

According to Putin, a US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Moscow early next week, and he confirmed that it may be accompanied by the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Donald Trump has said that “few points of disagreement” remain between the two sides, and a possible meeting with Zelensky is directly linked to reaching an agreement.

Ukraine’s stance and European concerns

For his part, Zelensky announced that the Ukrainian and US missions would continue talks in order to “translate the points agreed in Geneva into a form leading to peace and security guarantees”. Meanwhile, the head of the presidential office, Adriy Yermak, had announced a visit by US Secretary of the Army, Dan Driscoll, to Kiev later this week.

Putin, referring to the Ukrainian leadership, reiterated that he considers it “illegitimate” because of the suspension of elections from 2022, claiming that it “makes no sense” to sign any document with it. Ukraine has been under martial law since the start of the Russian invasion and its parliament has unanimously confirmed the legitimacy of President Zelensky, whose term had formally expired in the spring.

At the same time, the Russian president dismissed warnings by European leaders that Moscow could threaten states on the continent in the future, calling them “ridiculous.” For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of treating Europe as a “zone of influence” that could be “dissected” based on Russian interests.