Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the amended peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war. He said Ukraine must hand over territory for any agreement to work. He also confirmed that the US and Ukraine shared the latest plan with Moscow.

Putin said, “In general, we agree that this can be the basis for future agreements. We see that the American side takes our position into account in some areas. But in other points, we clearly need to sit down and talk.”

His comments showed that key issues remain unresolved. They also hinted that Washington’s optimism does not match Moscow’s view.

Russia stays sceptical as Ukraine welcomes proposal

Putin still doubts the plan, even though earlier drafts favoured Russia. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the proposal. He said Kyiv reached “an understanding” with the US on the document.

The proposal forms part of former US President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan. US and Ukrainian officials discussed it over the weekend to align it more with Ukraine’s interests.

Putin sets conditions for ending the conflict

During a visit to Kyrgyzstan, Putin told reporters that Russia will stop its operation if Ukraine withdraws from certain areas. He did not name those regions.

He said, “If Ukrainian troops leave the territories they occupy, then we will stop fighting. If they don’t, we will achieve our aims militarily.”

Putin also said US special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Russia early next week. He rejected claims that Witkoff favoured Moscow in the talks. He called those allegations “nonsense”.

Putin repeats claim that Zelenskyy is “illegitimate”

Putin again said that Ukraine’s leadership is illegitimate. He argued that Kyiv lost its mandate by not holding elections after Zelenskyy’s term ended.

Ukraine says it cannot hold nationwide polls under martial law while it fights Russia.

Putin said he sees Ukraine’s leadership as illegitimate. He insisted that Russia cannot sign a legal agreement with Kyiv under these conditions. He stressed that any deal must gain global recognition and must also accept Russia’s territorial gains.