A US plan to end the Ukraine war could “form the basis for future agreements,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also reiterated threats to use force to take more territory unless Kyiv withdraws.
Putin told reporters in Bishtek, Kyrgyzstan, on Thursday that the Kremlin was prepared for “serious discussion” and that the US delegation led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will be visiting Moscow early next week.
However, the Russian president reiterated his maximalist demands, stating that the Ukraine war will only cease “once Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they occupy,” making any immediate progress seem unlikely.
The Russian commander said, “If they don’t withdraw, we will achieve this through military means.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that by the end of this week, his delegation will also meet with US officials to discuss the issues raised in Geneva. He added that “important negotiations not only for our delegation, but also for me personally” will take place next week in his weekly video address, although he did not elaborate.
Nearly all of the Luhansk area, as well as portions of the Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, are under Russian occupation, making up around 20 percent of the land that is legally recognized as a part of sovereign Ukraine.
Moscow has annexed but not completely captured these four regions, and it is demanding that Ukraine give up all of them.
In recent weeks, Russia has gained some ground along the eastern Ukrainian lines, particularly in the vicinity of Pokrovsk.
However, statistics on the speed at which Russian forces are advancing suggests that “a Russian military victory in Ukraine is not inevitable, and a rapid Russian seizure of the rest of Donetsk Oblast is not imminent,” according to the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based war monitor, on Thursday.
Importantly, the “fortress belt” of strongly guarded towns and cities that are thought to be essential to Ukrainian security is part of the territory that Russia is demanding. Territorial concessions are a red line for Kyiv and its European allies.
After US officials, including President Donald Trump himself, praised “tremendous progress” being made on their efforts to end the Ukraine war, Putin’s comments on Thursday were the clearest evidence that Russia remains unwilling to move.
The 28-point peace plan, which was drafted by the US with apparent substantial inputs from Russia, was altered after Ukrainian and European officials vehemently condemned it.
The original plan called for Ukraine to cut back on its army and be excluded from NATO, reflecting Russia’s long list of demands.
Putin said on Thursday that he anticipated Witkoff’s arrival in Moscow early next week, most likely to discuss the revised plan, the details of which are still not known.
According to Putin, the plan might “form the basis for future agreements” and he has been briefed of the most recent conversations.
“It would be impolite of me to speak of final agreements now,” he added.