Putin doubles down on demands for Ukrainian territory ahead of talks with US

President Vladimir Putin has doubled down on his key demands for an end to the war in Ukraine, saying Russia will disarm only if Kiev’s troops withdraw from territory claimed by Moscow.

Putin has long been pressing for legal recognition of Ukrainian lands that Russia seized by force. These include the southern Crimean peninsula, which was annexed in 2014, and the eastern Donbas region, much of which Moscow currently occupies.

For Kiev, which refuses to give up the parts of Donbas it still holds, rewarding Russia for its aggression is a non-starter.

Speaking after Putin’s speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia “underestimated” efforts to “really end the war.”

Speaking to reporters during his trip to Kyrgyzstan, Putin accused Kiev of wanting to fight “to the last Ukrainian” and said Russia was ready for this “in principle”.

He reiterated his view that Russia has the initiative on the battlefield and that the conflict will end only with the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas, consisting of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

“If they do not withdraw, we will achieve this by force of arms,” ​​he said.

But Russia’s slow gains in eastern Ukraine have led to a serious loss of manpower. At this rate, it would take almost another two years for Moscow to capture the rest of the Donetsk region, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War.

Thursday’s remarks were Putin’s first reference to the flurry of diplomatic moves last week, when the United States and Ukraine saw intense discussions over a peace plan reportedly drawn up by American and Russian officials in October.

The plan, which largely addressed Moscow’s demands, was later revised during meetings between Ukrainian and US negotiators in Geneva. European representatives were also in the Swiss city.

However, this agreement, in addition to security guarantees for Ukraine, is thought to not address the issue of occupied territories, which is the biggest sticking point between Moscow and Kiev.

Putin said the draft new plan had now been shown to Russia and it could be the “basis” of a future agreement to end the war.

But he added that it was “absolutely necessary” to discuss “certain points that need to be raised diplomatically.”

The possibility of recognition of Crimea and Donbas under Russian administration was asked actual control but not legally, Putin said: “This is the purpose of our discussion with our American counterparts”.

A US delegation, including special envoy Steve Witkoff, is expected to arrive in Moscow in the first half of next week, the official confirmed. US President Donald Trump told reporters that the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner could also accompany Witkoff to Moscow.

Zelensky said in a video speech late Thursday that Ukrainian and U.S. delegations would meet “to transform the points we have secured in Geneva into a form that will put us on the path to peace and security guarantees.”

The Ukrainian president did not name any names, but chief of staff Andriy Yermak said US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll would visit Kiev later in the week.

On Wednesday, Trump said there were “only a few sticking points left” between Russia and Ukraine, adding that any meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss those issues was contingent on an agreed-upon peace agreement.

In his statements to journalists, Putin once again expressed his disdain for the Ukrainian leadership, which he considers illegitimate. He added that there was therefore “no use” in signing any documents with them.

Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022, when Russia’s full-scale invasion began, and is therefore unable to hold planned elections. Earlier this year, the Ukrainian parliament unanimously approved the legitimacy of President Zelensky, whose term ended in the spring.

Putin also rejected warnings from European leaders that Russia could attack the European continent in the coming decades.

“This seems really ridiculous to us,” he said.

The White House and Donald Trump appeared optimistic about recent diplomatic efforts toward peace talks, but Europeans have repeatedly expressed doubts about whether Putin truly intends to end the war.

on wednesday European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of continuing the post-World War II mentality and viewing the European continent as a “sphere of influence” into which sovereign nations could be “divided”.