President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Ukrainian forces must retreat from Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, threatening that Russia will take control if they do not, dismissing any potential compromises to conclude the conflict in Ukraine.
“We will either take these areas by force, or the Ukrainian forces will vacate them,” he stated in an interview with India Today. Moscow currently controls roughly 85% of Donbas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the idea of relinquishing any land.
Putin’s remarks follow statements from President Donald Trump, who indicated that his negotiation team involved in a US peace initiative believed Russia’s head “would like to conclude the war” after discussions in Moscow on Tuesday.
Trump’s representative Steve Witkoff, who was present in Moscow, is scheduled to meet with Ukraine’s representatives in Florida.
Trump described the discussions at the Kremlin on Tuesday as “fairly productive,” noting it was premature to predict outcomes since “it takes two to make it happen”.
The original version of the US peace proposal suggested transferring regions of Donbas still under Ukrainian control to Putin’s de facto authority—however, the Witkoff group presented an altered iteration in Moscow.
In his interview with India Today prior to a state visit to Delhi, Putin mentioned he had not reviewed the new proposal before his discussions with Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law.
“That is the reason we needed to review every aspect thoroughly, which extended the duration of our talks,” the Kremlin chief remarked.
He also stated that Moscow did not agree with certain aspects of the US proposal.
“Occasionally, we indicated yes, we can discuss this, but we cannot accept that,” Putin stated.
He did not specify what the main issues were. There remain at least two major points of disagreement—the status of Ukrainian territory captured by Russian forces and security assurances for Ukraine.
Putin’s senior foreign policy adviser and chief negotiator Yuri Ushakov previously indicated following the discussions that they reached “no compromises” in efforts to conclude the war.
Ushakov also suggested that Russia’s negotiating stance had been bolstered due to what Moscow described as its recent achievements on the battlefield.
Ukraine has consistently accused Russia of hindering any ceasefire negotiations, alleging that Moscow aims to acquire more Ukrainian land.
Reflecting on the Kremlin discussions, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybhia asserted that Putin was “squandering the world’s time”.
Ukraine has long demanded robust security guarantees in any agreement.
On Wednesday, Zelensky remarked that “the world distinctly senses that there exists a genuine possibility to end the war” – but that negotiations should be “supported by pressure on Russia”, which Kyiv and its European partners accuse of intentionally delaying any ceasefire arrangements.
The Ukrainian leader noted last week that his principal negotiators had succeeded in implementing several important modifications to the initial US peace plan – considered to significantly benefit Moscow – during discussions with an American delegation in Geneva on November 23.
In a joint statement, US and Ukrainian negotiators indicated at that time that they had established an “updated and refined peace framework” – but shared no additional specifics.
Leading negotiators from Europe – who had expressed concerns regarding the initial US proposal – were also present in the Swiss city last week, meeting separately with the Ukrainian and American teams.
In a separate development on Thursday, Germany’s Der Spiegel news website reported that it had acquired a confidential transcript of a conference call where European leaders voiced worries about the US negotiations.
“There is a chance that the US may betray Ukraine regarding territory without providing clear security guarantees,” French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly stated, according to an English translation of Monday’s conference call.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz allegedly warned that Zelensky had to be “extremely cautious in the days ahead”.
“They are playing games, both with you and with us,” Merz allegedly remarked.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb was also reportedly quoted as stating: “We must not leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these individuals.”
The BBC has not verified the reported transcript.
In response to a Der Spiegel inquiry, France’s Élysée Palace declared that “the president did not express himself in that manner”. The presidential office chose not to elaborate on how Macron described his views, citing confidentiality.
Stubb refrained from commenting to Der Spiegel, and Merz has not provided any statements on the matter.
In a statement to the BBC, the White House noted: “Secretary [Marco] Rubio, Special Envoy Witkoff, Mr. Kushner, and the entirety of the President’s national security team are diligent in their efforts to halt the violence between Russia and Ukraine.”
“They have conducted fruitful meetings to consolidate feedback from both sides on a plan that can establish a lasting, enforceable peace,” the statement indicated.
Russia initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and presently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Recently, Russian forces have gradually been progressing in southeastern Ukraine, despite reportedly suffering heavy casualties in combat.
