Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he would stop his attack on Ukraine if Kyiv gave over land that Moscow says is its own. If not, his army will take it by force.
According to AFP, the Russian army has been slowly but steadily pushing through eastern Ukraine in expensive engagements against Ukrainian soldiers that are outnumbered and outgunned.
Washington is still trying to end the nearly four-year war. It has come up with a surprising plan that it expects to finalize in discussions with Moscow and Kyiv in the near future.
Putin declared while he was in Kyrgyzstan, “If Ukrainian forces leave the areas they control, we will stop fighting.” “If they don’t, we’ll do it with military force.”
Russia owns almost one-fifth of Ukraine’s land. One of the main problems in the peace process is the subject of occupied land, which Kyiv has said it will never give up.
Another significant topic in the negotiations is Western security guarantees for Ukraine. Kyiv thinks these are necessary to keep Moscow from invading again in the future.
The previous plan from Washington, which was made without involvement from Ukraine’s European partners, would have had Kyiv pull out of its eastern Donetsk area and the US would have effectively recognized the Donetsk, Crimea, and Lugansk regions as Russian.
After Kyiv and Europe criticized the original proposal over the weekend, the US cut it down, but it hasn’t revealed the modified version yet.
Putin remarked that the new approach could be a good way to start talks.
He said of the latest draft, which the US is reported to have cut down to approximately 20 points, “Overall, we agree that it could form the basis for future agreements.”
Putin stated that US negotiator Steve Witkoff was supposed to be in Moscow next week to talk about the new paper.
Andriy Yermak, the top presidential assistant in Ukraine, indicated that US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is also going to Kyiv later this week.
“Not much can be done”
Putin said again today that Russia had surrounded the Ukrainian army in Pokrovsk and Myrnograd, which are in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. This is the most heavily fought-over area and a vital goal for Moscow’s troops.
He remarked, using the Russian names for the cities, “Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov are completely surrounded.”
He also said that Moscow was making progress in Vovchansk and Siversk and getting closer to the vital logistics hub of Guliaipole.
Putin added, “It is almost impossible to stop the Russian attack, so there is not much that can be done about it.”
Ukraine says that Pokrovsk and Myrnograd are not surrounded and that its troops are still holding the enemy along the front line.
Putin also questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and said that signing any agreement with him would be “almost impossible” at the present. This suggestion has made Kyiv and its allies moan.
Our reporter at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) looked at statistics and found that Russian troops have taken over an average of 467 square kilometers (180 square miles) of land each month in 2025, which is more than they did in 2024.
In February 2022, Moscow started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which led to the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and made millions leave their homes.
About the Author
