President Vladimir Putin has doubled down on his core demands for ending the war in Ukraine, stating that Russia will lay down arms only if Kyiv's troops withdraw from territory claimed by Moscow.
Putin has long pushed for legal recognition of the Ukrainian territories Russia has seized by force, including the Crimean peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014, and the Donbas regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, which Moscow currently occupies for the most part.
Kyiv, however, has ruled out relinquishing any parts of the Donbas it still holds; rewarding Russia for its aggression is simply a non-starter. Speaking to reporters during a trip to Kyrgyzstan, Putin emphasized that Russia holds the battlefield initiative and that fighting will only cease when Ukrainian troops withdraw from those territories.
If they don't withdraw, we'll achieve this by force of arms, he declared. His remarks come amid heightened diplomatic engagement, including recent discussions between the US and Ukraine over a proposed peace plan initiated by American and Russian officials.
Putin indicated that while a revised draft of the plan has now reached Russia, critical points remain to be discussed in diplomatic language. This ongoing dialogue is set against the backdrop of an expected visit from a US delegation to Moscow in the early part of next week.
Ukraine's presidential aide announced that US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will also arrive in Kyiv later this week. Although talks are progressing, President Trump has stated that he would not meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky until outstanding issues are resolved.
Putin maintains a contemptuous view of the Ukrainian leadership, labeling it illegitimate and reiterating the futility of signing formal documents under current conditions. He has dismissed warnings that Russia may attack Europe in the following decades as fallacious.
