President Vladimir Putin has doubled down on his core demands for ending the war in Ukraine, asserting 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. They include the southern Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014, and the eastern Donbas region, which Moscow now occupies for the most part.
For Kyiv, which has ruled out relinquishing the parts of the Donbas it still holds, rewarding Russia for its aggression is a non-starter.
Speaking after Putin's address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia scorned efforts to truly end the war.
Speaking to reporters during a trip to Kyrgyzstan, Putin accused Kyiv of wanting to fight to the last Ukrainian - which he said Russia was in principle also ready to do. He reiterated that Russia has the initiative on the battlefield and insisted that fighting would only cease when Ukrainian troops withdrew from Donbas, comprised of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Stating, If they don't withdraw, we'll achieve this by force of arms, Putin's remarks come as Russia experiences significant manpower losses amidst their slow gains in eastern Ukraine. The US-based Institute for the Study of War suggests that at the current pace, it would take Moscow almost two more years to capture the rest of Donetsk.
Putin's latest comments were the first addressing the recent flurry of diplomatic activity, especially between the US and Ukraine, regarding a peace plan reportedly created in October by American and Russian officials. This plan has undergone revisions during talks involving Ukrainian and US negotiators in Geneva, although it is believed to overlook the occupied territories issue, a substantial point of contention.
He mentioned that the latest draft plan has been presented to Russia and could serve as a basis for concluding peace, but stressed the need to discuss specific points in diplomatic terms.
Asked whether Crimea and Donbas might be recognized under Russian de facto control without legal status, Putin indicated this would be included in discussions with US officials, with a delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff expected in Moscow soon.
President Donald Trump has conveyed optimism regarding recent diplomatic movements, even noting that only a few disagreements remain, making a meeting with Zelensky contingent on an agreed-upon peace deal.
However, skepticism persists, particularly among European leaders, about Putin's sincerity in wanting to conclude the conflict. The ongoing war continues to strain Ukraine, which has been under martial law since the onset of the invasion in February 2022, effectively halting scheduled elections.
