Putin says a US–Ukraine draft could serve as a foundation for a future peace agreement

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the outline peace proposals recently discussed by the United States and Ukraine could potentially serve as a foundation for future agreements to end the war — but warned that Russia would continue fighting if no deal is reached.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his desire to end the conflict, Europe’s deadliest since World War II, but his initiatives — including an August summit with Putin in Alaska — have yet to yield a breakthrough.

A leaked 28-point US peace plan surfaced last week, alarming Ukrainian and European officials who believed it conceded too much to Moscow, including on NATO, Russia’s control over roughly one-fifth of Ukraine, and limits on Kyiv’s military. European governments then presented their own counter-proposal, and at talks in Geneva, the US and Ukraine announced they had produced an “updated and refined peace framework.”

Speaking in Bishkek after a summit of former Soviet states, Putin said the talks were not about an agreed draft treaty but about clusters of issues. He said the US and Ukraine had divided the 28 points into four components in Geneva and that Moscow had received a copy.

“Overall, we believe this could serve as a basis for future agreements,” Putin said, adding that Washington had taken Russia’s position into account. However, he noted that some matters still required negotiation. If European nations wanted a formal assurance that Russia would not attack them, he said Moscow was ready to provide one — though he dismissed claims Russia intended to attack Europe as “complete nonsense.”

PUTIN: THE CHOICE IS ‘WAR OR PEACE’

Putin combined signals that he was ready to work with the Trump administration on a possible peace deal with warnings that Russia was prepared to continue its offensive and seize more territory if necessary.

Russian forces now hold more than 19% of Ukraine — about 115,600 square kilometres — and have made their fastest territorial gains since 2022, according to pro-Ukrainian maps. Putin said Russia was being told to halt fighting but insisted Kyiv’s forces must first withdraw.

“Ukrainian troops must pull back from the areas they occupy, and then the fighting will stop. If they don’t, we’ll achieve this by military means. That’s it,” he said.

Putin reiterated his view that Ukraine’s leadership is illegitimate, making it legally impossible to sign an agreement directly with Kyiv. Any settlement, he argued, must therefore be internationally recognised — including recognition of Russia’s territorial gains.

“Of course we ultimately want an agreement with Ukraine. But at the moment, that is essentially impossible — legally impossible,” he said.

He added that Crimea and the eastern Donbas region should be discussed with the United States as part of broader negotiations.

Putin also said Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected in Moscow early next week. He criticized the newly imposed US sanctions on Russian oil companies as unexpected.

Responding to the leaked recording of a call between top Trump and Putin advisers, he dismissed claims that Witkoff was biased in Russia’s favour as absurd.

“It would be strange if he insulted us and then came here to build relations,” Putin said, describing Witkoff as a US patriot defending American interests.