MOSCOW, Nov 28: President Vladimir Putin has restated his conditions for ending the fighting, saying Russia will halt its offensive only if Ukrainian troops leave the areas Moscow claims, according to the BBC. These include Crimea, taken in 2014, and large parts of the Donbas region now under Russian control. Kyiv rejects any pullout that would amount to giving up territory seized by force, the BBC reported.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow had brushed aside real efforts to find a settlement, as noted by the BBC. During a visit to Kyrgyzstan, Putin accused Ukraine of choosing to fight “to the last Ukrainian” and said Russia could continue on the same track. He repeated that the war would stop only when Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donbas, the BBC said.
Putin warned that Russia would push Ukrainian troops out if they refused to leave, according to the BBC. Yet experts say Russia’s progress remains slow and costly, and the Institute for the Study of War estimates it could take nearly two more years to capture the rest of Donetsk, the BBC reported.
Putin’s Pipelines to Power
His comments followed a week of intense diplomatic activity. US and Ukrainian officials held talks on a peace proposal first drafted in October by American and Russian representatives, as reported by the BBC. That early draft, seen as more favourable to Moscow, was reworked in Geneva with European involvement. The revised version still avoids the core dispute over occupied territory and long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, the BBC noted.
Putin said Russia had now reviewed the updated draft and that it could serve as a starting point for future talks, according to the BBC. He added that some points still needed careful wording. When asked about an arrangement that recognises Russian control of Crimea and Donbas in practice but not in law, he said that topic remains part of discussions with the US, the BBC reported.
A US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Moscow next week, and President Donald Trump has suggested Jared Kushner might join, the BBC said. Zelensky said Ukrainian and US teams will meet soon to turn the Geneva progress into a workable plan for peace and security guarantees. His chief of staff previously said US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected in Kyiv, according to the BBC.
Putin again questioned the legitimacy of Ukraine’s leadership and said there was no point in signing anything with them, the BBC reported. Ukraine has postponed elections under martial law, and parliament has reaffirmed Zelensky’s mandate. Putin also dismissed warnings from European leaders who fear Russia may later threaten Europe, calling such concerns absurd, the BBC noted.
Washington and Trump have sounded positive about the diplomatic push. European leaders remain doubtful. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of holding on to a postwar mentality that treats European states as zones to be split apart, according to the BBC.
