Vladimir Putin expresses an initial positive opinion on the plan developed by Donald Trump to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. “The Russian Federation in general agrees that the list of US points on Ukraine can form the basis for future agreements”, the words of the Russian president, in a press conference in Bishek, reported by Tass. “Every word of the peace plan for Ukraine must be discussed seriously,” he added, highlighting already known concepts. Negotiations with the US revolve around “the recognition of Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and Donbass”.
As has happened in the past, Putin alternates openings and closures. “If Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they currently occupy, then we will stop fighting. If they do not withdraw, we will use force,” he says, referring to Donbass.
“Russia wants agreement but…”
Russia wants to “reach an agreement” with Ukraine, but it is legally impossible at the moment since “for some reason” Kiev did not hold elections, it swerves immediately after. “Of course, we want to reach an agreement with Ukraine, but at the moment it is practically impossible, it is legally impossible”, he insists, reiterating how the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has lost his legitimacy.
“Signing documents with the Ukrainian leadership is useless. I have talked about this many times. I believe that the Ukrainian leadership made a fundamental and strategic mistake when it was afraid to participate in the presidential elections,” he says.
On the contrary, Russia managed to hold the elections despite being involved “in an armed conflict with Ukraine”, continues the Kremlin leader, noting that “as soon as peace agreements of any kind are concluded, which means that the fighting stops, the martial law imposed (by Kiev, ed.) must be immediately lifted and elections must be called just as immediately” in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Putin confirms that the Kremlin is expecting a United States delegation next week. US President Donald Trump will rely on special envoy Steve Witkoff for talks with Russia. At the same time, messages to Europe: “Those who talk about the risk of Russia attacking Europe are scammers. Those in the West who want to continue stealing money together with Kiev urge us to continue hostilities until the last Ukrainian,” says Putin.
How the war is going according to Putin
The Russian president provides his own picture of the progress of the war: “The positive dynamic is maintained in all directions of the special military operation and the pace of the advance increases. The collapse of the Ukrainian front in the direction of Zaporizhzhia is possible. Krasnoarmiysk and Dimitrov are completely surrounded, Volchansk is almost completely in the hands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”, he states.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost 47 thousand people in October -he says reeling off unconfirmed data-. Desertion in the Ukrainian armed forces is very high, the Western media also confirms this, and Kiev can hardly do anything about it. The main problem for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is the growing gap between the number of recruits and losses.”