Vladimir Putin has said that a draft peace plan discussed by the United States and Ukraine could serve as a foundation for future negotiations to end the war, but insisted that any agreement would require Kyiv to surrender territory.
Speaking during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, the Russian president remarked: “In general, we agree that this can be the basis for future agreements,” noting that the version of the plan discussed in Geneva had been shared with Moscow.
He added, “We see that the American side takes our position into account in some areas. But in other points, we clearly need to sit down and talk.”
Putin’s uncompromising stance, coupled with his repeated description of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “illegitimate”, suggested little progress on the key issues that remain central to ending the conflict.
He stated that Russia would halt its offensive only if Ukrainian forces withdrew from areas currently under Kyiv’s control.
“If Ukrainian troops leave the territories they occupy, then we will stop fighting. If they don’t, we will achieve our aims militarily,” he said.
The Russian leader argued that Ukraine’s leadership was legally incapable of signing a binding agreement, claiming that any settlement would require wider international recognition.
Putin confirmed that Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, would travel to Russia next week. Witkoff, a property developer and long-time associate of Donald Trump, has faced criticism after a leaked call revealed him advising a Kremlin aide on how Putin should approach negotiations with Trump. Putin dismissed accusations of bias as “nonsense”.
Observers noted that Russia’s negotiating tactics mirror those employed since Trump’s re-election: signalling a willingness to explore peace deals while refusing to compromise on demands widely viewed in Kyiv as unacceptable.
Tatiana Stanovaya, a Russian political analyst, wrote on X: “I see nothing at the moment that would force Putin to recalculate his goals or abandon his core demands. Putin feels more confident than ever about the battlefield situation and is convinced that he can wait until Kyiv finally accepts that it cannot win and must negotiate on Russia’s well-known terms.”
Details of a leaked 28-point plan developed by US and Russian officials last week revealed proposals requiring Ukraine to cede territory that Moscow has failed to capture militarily. The plan also called for reductions in US military assistance and a ban on future deployments of western troops, including those envisaged under the Franco-British “coalition of the willing.”
