Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that outline draft peace proposals discussed by the US and Ukraine could grow to be the idea of future agreements to finish the conflict in Ukraine, but that if not Russia would fight on.
Yet Putin also called the Ukrainian leadership “illegitimate” and said it was senseless to sign any documents with them, casting further doubt on a final peace treaty.
“We want to take a seat down and discuss this seriously,” Putin told reporters at the top of a three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan. “Every word matters.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has long said he desires to end the war in Ukraine, Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two, but his efforts up to now, including a summit with Putin in Alaska in August, haven’t brought peace.
A leaked 28-point U.S. peace plan emerged last week, spooking Ukrainian and European officials who felt it bowed to Moscow’s key demands on NATO, Moscow’s control of a fifth of Ukraine and restrictions on Ukraine’s army.
European powers then gave their counter-proposal for peace and at talks in Geneva, the U.S. and Ukraine said that they had created an “updated and refined peace framework” to finish the war.
Putin, speaking in Bishkek after a summit with the leaders of a grouping of former Soviet republics, told reporters that the discussions up to now weren’t a couple of draft agreement of any kind but about sets of issues.
He said that in Geneva, the U.S. and Ukraine had decided to divide up the 28 points into 4 separate components – and that a replica had been transmitted to Moscow.
“On the whole, we agree that this could be the idea for future agreements,” Putin said. “We see that the American side takes into consideration our position.”
Putin said that some things still needed to be discussed. If Europe wanted a pledge to not attack it, then Russia was willing to present such a proper pledge, he said, though he added that it was “complete nonsense” to suggest Russia would attack Europe.
Alternative is war or peace, Putin says
Putin mixed a transparent public expression of readiness to have interaction with the Trump administration over a possible peace plan for Ukraine with several warnings that Russia was prepared to fight on if essential and take more of Ukraine.
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Russian forces control greater than 19% of Ukraine, or 115,600 square km, up one percentage point from two years ago, and have advanced in 2025 on the fastest pace since 2022, in response to pro-Ukrainian maps.
Russia, Putin noted, was being told that it should stop the fighting but needed Kyiv’s forces to tug back before it could accomplish that.
“Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the territories they hold, after which the fighting will stop. In the event that they don’t leave, then we will achieve this by armed means. That’s it,” Putin said.
Putin said that he considered the Ukrainian leadership to be illegitimate and so it was legally inconceivable to sign a take care of Kyiv.
It was subsequently vital, he said, to be sure that any agreement was recognized by the international community – and that the international community recognized Russian gains in Ukraine.
“Subsequently, broadly speaking, after all, we ultimately want to succeed in an agreement with Ukraine. But immediately, that is practically inconceivable. Unimaginable legally,” Putin said.
He said the Kyiv leadership lost legitimacy after refusing to carry elections when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s elected term expired. Kyiv says it cannot hold elections while under martial law and defending its territory against Russia.
Putin said that the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and the eastern Donbas region ought to be a subject for discussions with the U.S.
Analysts say Putin is attempting to outwait the commitment of Western countries to supporting Ukraine’s war effort. Trump has previously signaled he could walk away from efforts to stop the fighting if there isn’t any progress. European officials say Putin is stalling because Russia desires to grab more of Ukraine before accepting any deal.
The Institute for the Study of War on Wednesday solid doubt on Russian claims that its invasion is unstoppable because it remains to be struggling to capture cities within the eastern Donetsk region.
“Data on Russian forces’ rate of advance indicates that a Russian military victory in Ukraine shouldn’t be inevitable, and a rapid Russian seizure of the remaining of Donetsk Oblast (region) shouldn’t be imminent,” the Washington-based think tank said. “Recent Russian advances elsewhere on the front line have largely been opportunistic and exploited seasonal weather conditions.”
Diplomacy comes amid ongoing Russian attacks
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to go to Moscow early next week, Putin said. U.S. sanctions on Russian oil firms were unexpected, he added.
Commenting on the leak of a recording of a call between top advisers to Trump and Putin, the Kremlin chief rejected the suggestion that Witkoff had shown himself to be biased towards Moscow in peace talks over Ukraine, describing it as nonsense.
“It could be astonishing if he … rained curses down upon our heads, was very rude after which arrived to develop ties with us,” Putin said of Witkoff, casting him as a patriot defending U.S. interests.
The diplomatic developments have come against a backdrop of continued fighting.
A 53-year-old man was killed in a Russian drone attack in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, officials said Friday. Also, Russia attacked Ukraine’s Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions early Thursday, injuring three people and starting fires, local authorities said. Russia launched 142 drones at Ukraine overnight, in response to Ukraine’s air force.
Meanwhile, Russian air defenses downed 118 Ukrainian drones overnight above various Russian regions and the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine’s army isn’t only under pressure on the battlefield. Zelenskyy’s government is mired in a significant corruption scandal and is in need of money.
In a development offering some relief, Ukraine reached an agreement for the International Monetary Fund to supply $8.1 billion over 4 years, in response to a press release by the institution. The cash comes from a fund that helps countries facing medium-term payment difficulties.
But Ukraine’s state budget and military needs for 2026 and 2027 are estimated at $153 billion.
—With additional files from the Associated Press