Kathrine Frich
A new round of remarks from Russian President Vladimir Putin has sharpened tensions as the war enters another volatile phase.
Speaking during a foreign trip, he cast Russia’s battlefield momentum alongside claims of openness to negotiations, presenting a blend of pressure and diplomacy.
His comments arrived at a moment when multiple fronts remain contested and separate leaks about US–Russia–Ukraine discussions add to the political churn.
Withdrawal ultimatum
Putin told reporters that Russian troops would stop offensive actions only if Ukrainian forces retreat from all areas Moscow claims to have annexed in 2022. If not, he said Russia would take them “by military means.”
He referred specifically to Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, regions seized through referendums denounced by Kyiv and Western governments.
Russia holds all of Luhansk and Crimea but only parts of the remaining three, amounting to around 20 percent of Ukraine.
Putin also repeated earlier assertions that his forces had encircled Ukrainian units in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, using Soviet-era names for the two cities. Ukraine has rejected those claims, insisting that its troops are still defending positions along that section of the front.
Advances claimed
The Russian leader listed additional areas where he said Moscow’s forces were pushing forward, including Vovchansk in Kharkiv, Siversk in Donetsk and toward Hulyaipole in Zaporizhzhia.
He described the offensive as difficult for Ukraine to resist, arguing that there was “little that can be done about it.”
His comments came as media outlets, including Bloomberg, reported on a separate leak involving a purported conversation between US businessman Steve Witkoff and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, a disclosure causing further political debate in Moscow.
US peace plan signals
Putin also addressed the US-backed 28-point peace proposal, which has been the subject of negotiations involving Washington and Kyiv.
He said the revised version now in Moscow’s hands could “in general” serve as a framework for talks, though he stressed that no draft treaty exists.
He said the plan had been circulating before the Alaska and Anchorage summits, adding that the document’s points had been divided into four areas for discussion.
Any final text, he said, would require both sides to “sit down and seriously discuss some specific things.”
According to Putin, Washington appears to be taking Russia’s stated positions into account, but the issues remain under review.
Pledges on Europe
Putin also claimed Russia is prepared to formalize assurances that it will not attack European states.
He argued Moscow had never intended to threaten Europe and suggested that warnings of Russian aggression were driven by political gain or defense-industry interests.
“If they want to hear from us, well, let’s record it,” he said, adding that such commitments could support broader conversations about European security.
His remarks come despite Russia’s earlier pledge under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum not to invade Ukraine. an agreement Western nations say Moscow violated when it launched its full-scale assault in 2022.
Sources: Bloomberg, Kyivpost.
