Putin says revised US-Ukraine peace plan could form basis for future agreement
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The news: Russian President Vladimir Putin said a revised US-Ukraine peace framework could serve as a starting point for future agreements, but threatened to seize territory by force if Ukrainian troops did not withdraw from territories they hold.
What they said: Putin, speaking in Bishkek after a summit with leaders of former Soviet republics, said the original 28-point US proposal was not a draft agreement but a set of issues. He said it had been divided into four components during Geneva talks between the US and Ukraine, and that a copy had been sent to Moscow.
“In general, we agree that this could be the basis for future agreements,” Putin said.
Putin said the US “takes into account our position” and that it was necessary to “seriously discuss some specific things”. He added there was no final version of any agreement.
Putin said he considered the Ukrainian leadership to be illegitimate, so it was legally impossible to sign a deal with Kyiv. He said it was important that any agreement be recognised by the international community, including recognition of Russia’s gains in Ukraine. He added that the Crimean peninsula and the Donbas region should be a topic for discussions with the US.
He confirmed that US envoy Steve Witkoff would visit Moscow next week under orders of Donald Trump. He rejected the suggestion that Witkoff had shown himself to be biased towards Moscow in peace talks, describing that claim as “nonsense”.
The context: Since launching its invasion, Russia has shown no willingness to shift its core demands despite US efforts to broker peace. Putin has previously insisted Ukraine must withdraw from the entirety of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, including areas not held by Russian forces, and has demanded Kyiv be barred from joining NATO or hosting Western troops.
Meanwhile, fighting continues. Ukraine’s air force on Thursday (Friday AEDT) said Russia launched 142 drones overnight. Local authorities said Russia attacked the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions, injuring three people and starting fires. The Russian Defence Ministry said 118 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russian regions and the Black Sea.
The sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, Associated Press
