Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (November 27) that a draft outline of a peace proposal being discussed by the United States and Ukraine could form the basis of a future agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine, but that if not, Russia would continue fighting.

US President Donald Trump has long said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, but his efforts so far, including a summit with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August, have not yielded peace.

A leaked 28-point US peace plan emerged last week, alarming Ukrainian and European officials because it stifled Moscow's key demands for NATO, Moscow's control of one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, and restrictions on Ukraine's military.

European powers subsequently presented their counterproposals for peace, and in talks in Geneva, the US and Ukraine said they had created an "updated and improved peace framework" to end the war.

Putin, speaking in Bishkek after a summit with leaders of former Soviet republics, told reporters that discussions so far were not about any draft agreement, but rather about a range of issues.

He said that in Geneva, the US and Ukraine had decided to divide the 28 points into four separate components – and copies of these had been sent to Moscow.

"In general, we agreed that this could be the basis for a future agreement," Putin said. "We see that the American side is considering our position."

Putin said that several things still needed to be discussed. If Europe wanted a promise not to attack it, then Russia was willing to give that formal promise, he said, although he added that it was "complete nonsense" to say that Russia would attack Europe.

THE CHOICE IS WAR OR PEACE, SAYS PUTIN

Putin combined clear public statements about his readiness to engage with the Trump administration on a possible peace plan for Ukraine with several warnings that Russia was prepared to continue fighting if necessary and take over more Ukrainian territory.

Russian forces control more than 19% of Ukraine's territory, or 115,600 square kilometers, up one percentage point from two years ago, and have advanced in 2025 at the fastest rate since 2022, according to a pro-Ukrainian map.

Russia, Putin noted, has been told it must stop fighting, but it needs Kyiv's forces to withdraw before it can do so. "Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the territories they control, and then the fighting will stop. If they don't leave, then we will achieve this by armed means. That's all," Putin said.

Putin said he considers the Ukrainian leadership illegitimate, making it legally impossible to sign an agreement with Kyiv.

Therefore, it is important, he said, to ensure that any agreement is recognized by the international community—and that the international community recognizes Russia's gains in Ukraine.

"Therefore, in general, of course, ultimately we would like to reach an agreement with Ukraine. But at the moment, that is practically impossible. It is legally impossible," Putin said.

He said that the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and the eastern Donbas region should be topics of discussion with the US.

Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, plans to visit Moscow early next week, Putin said. US sanctions against Russian oil companies were unexpected, he added.

Commenting on the leaked recording of a phone call between a top Trump adviser and Putin, the Kremlin chief dismissed the notion that Witkoff had shown any bias toward Moscow in the Ukraine peace talks, calling it nonsense.

"It would be very surprising if he... rained curses on our heads, was very rude, and then came to establish relations with us," Putin said of Witkoff, describing him as a patriot who defended US interests. (alg)

Source: Reuters.com