to end between Russia and Ukraine offer a starting point for talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, as he told Ukrainian forces to pull back or be overrun by Russia鈥檚 bigger army.
鈥淲e need to sit down and discuss this seriously,鈥� Putin told reporters at the end of a three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan. 鈥淓very word matters.鈥�
He described U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 plan as 鈥渁 set of issues put forward for discussion鈥� rather than a draft agreement.
鈥淚f Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they occupy, hostilities will cease. If they don鈥檛 withdraw, we will achieve this by force,鈥� the Russian leader said.
Kremlin officials have had little to say so far about the peace plan put forward last week by Trump. Since Russia鈥檚 invasion of its neighbor, Putin has shown from his goals in Ukraine despite Trump鈥檚 push for a settlement.
Putin has previously demanded that Ukraine completely withdraw from the entirety of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions before Russia considers any sort of 鈥減eace negotiations鈥� 鈥� notably including areas of each of those oblasts that Russia does not occupy. He also wants to keep Ukraine from joining NATO and hosting any Western troops, allowing Moscow to gradually pull the country back into its orbit.
U.S. special envoy is set to visit Moscow next week, the Kremlin says, while U.S. Army Secretary , who in recent weeks has played a high-profile role in the peace efforts, may be heading to Kyiv.
The initial U.S. peace proposals appeared heavily , but an amended version emerged from talks in Geneva on Sunday between American and Ukrainian officials. Sidelined European leaders, amid Russian aggression, are angling for deeper involvement in the process.
Putin looks to outlast the West’s commitment, analysts say
Analysts say Putin is attempting to outwait the commitment of Western countries to supporting Ukraine鈥檚 war effort. Trump has previously signaled he could walk away from efforts to stop the fighting if there is no progress. European officials say Putin is stalling because Russia wants to grab more of Ukraine before accepting any deal.
Russian officials have claimed they have in Ukraine, even though their slow progress has been costly in terms of casualties and armor.
The Institute for the Study of War on Wednesday cast doubt on Russian claims that its invasion is unstoppable as it is still struggling to capture .
鈥淒ata on Russian forces鈥� rate of advance indicates that a Russian military victory in Ukraine is not inevitable, and a rapid Russian seizure of the rest of Donetsk Oblast (region) is not imminent,鈥� the Washington-based think tank said. 鈥淩ecent Russian advances elsewhere on the front line have largely been opportunistic and exploited seasonal weather conditions.鈥�
In the latest example of tension between Moscow and European countries, Russia鈥檚 Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had ordered the closure of Poland鈥檚 Consulate General in the eastern city of Irkutsk.
The tit-for-tat move follows the closure of Russia鈥檚 Consulate General in the Polish city of Gdansk in November. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would not 鈥渁llow such actions to go unanswered.鈥�
Poland announced the closure of the Gdansk consulate after a railway line close to Warsaw was sabotaged in mid-November. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk later said that two Ukrainian citizens working for Russia were suspected of carrying out the attack.
Long-range attacks continue
The diplomatic developments have come against a backdrop of continued fighting.
A 53-year-old man was killed in a Russian drone attack in Ukraine鈥檚 northern Sumy region, officials said Friday. Also, Russia attacked Ukraine鈥檚 Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions early Thursday, injuring three people and starting fires, local authorities said. Russia launched 142 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine鈥檚 air force.
Meanwhile, Russian air defenses downed 118 Ukrainian drones overnight above various Russian regions and the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine鈥檚 army isn鈥檛 only under pressure on the battlefield. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy鈥檚 government is mired in a and is short of money.
In a development offering some relief, Ukraine reached an agreement for the International Monetary Fund to provide $8.1 billion over four years, according to a statement by the institution. The money comes from a fund that helps countries facing medium-term payment difficulties.
But Ukraine鈥檚 state budget and military needs for 2026 and 2027 are estimated at $153 billion.
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Sam McNeil contributed to this report from Brussels.
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