‘We will achieve this by military means.’ Putin calls Trump’s peace plan a ‘basis’ for future talks — and then demands Ukraine surrender territory.

The Trump administration has laid out a possible “basis” for a peace deal with Ukraine, but signing an agreement with the current leadership in Kyiv is “legally impossible” in Russia’s view, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. Speaking in Bishkek after a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit, Putin repeated many of the Kremlin’s usual talking points about the war against Ukraine, while signalling a willingness to continue negotiations with Washington. At the same time, Putin warned that Russia is prepared to press on militarily and seize even more territory if Kyiv refuses to accept a ceasefire on Moscow’s terms. Below, Meduza has translated Putin’s most notable comments, lightly edited for brevity and clarity. 

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On Trump’s peace plan

There was no draft agreement. There was a set of issues proposed for discussion and finalizing. We discussed this with American negotiators before my visit to Alaska, and then this 28-point list was transmitted to us through certain channels after that. Then the American and Ukrainian delegations held negotiations in Geneva. And they, as I understand it, decided to separate these 28 points into four components. 

In general, we agree that this could be the basis for future agreements. But it would be impolite of me to talk about any final options now, since there are none.

On a ceasefire

Ukrainian forces will withdraw from the territories they occupy, and then the hostilities will stop. If they don’t, we will achieve this by military means. That’s all there is to it.

On the status of Russian-occupied territories

We need our decisions to be internationally recognized by key international players. That’s all there is to it.

This matters, because it’s one thing when [our] decisions are recognized and, say, certain territories are under Russian sovereignty, and in the event of a violation of the agreements, it will be [considered] an attack on the Russian Federation with all the ensuing retaliatory measures from Russia. If it’s perceived as an attempt to restore law to territory belonging to Ukraine, that’s a different thing.

This should be one of the key points in our negotiations with the American side.

On European security

People who are either slightly out of their minds or crooks hoping to get something out of it are telling their populations that Russia is preparing to attack Europe and that they need to immediately strengthen their defense potential. It’s difficult to say what motivates them, but from our point of view it’s complete nonsense, an outright lie. Nevertheless, if they’ve frightened their citizens and they now want to hear that we have no aggressive plans against Europe, then by all means: we are ready to put this in writing.

On Russia returning to the G7

No one has invited us there; I haven’t heard or received any official proposals. And I’ve said before that I don’t really understand why it’s called the “Big Seven.” In terms of territory, population, and contribution to global GDP they’re all getting smaller and smaller. But that’s not important. They’re still our important partners. In the current situation I can’t really imagine how we would cooperate with them directly. 

Maybe if we implement all of the proposals in this [peace] framework from the U.S. administration then conditions for bilateral or multilateral contacts will emerge. But it’s too soon to talk about this. 

On the confiscation of Russian assets

Clearly this will have negative consequences for the global financial system, because trust in the Eurozone will diminish sharply. And against the backdrop of the difficulties in the European economy this will be a difficult test. On my instructions, the Russian government is preparing a package of retaliatory measures if this happens. It’s clear to everyone that this would be theft. Everyone talks about it openly. 

On the leaked Witkoff–Ushakov call

There’s no reason to indict Mr. Witkoff for being overly kind to his Russian colleagues. 

He’s an American citizen defending the position of his president and his country. Yes, we are in dialogue, and it’s not easy. Yes, we are conducting this dialogue without swearing and spitting at each other, like intelligent people. But each person defends their position, and Mr. Witkoff is defending U.S. interests as he and the people who delegated the negotiations with Russia to him see them. This [includes] not only President Trump but also people from the military, diplomatic, and administrative bodies of the United States in the broad sense of the word. 

On signing a peace deal with Zelensky’s government

Signing documents with the Ukrainian leadership is pointless. I’ve spoken about this many times. 

I believe the Ukrainian leadership made a fundamental, strategic mistake when it was afraid to hold elections after the president lost his legitimacy. Russia is also in a state of armed conflict, with Ukraine itself, but we held elections at the presidential, municipal, and regional levels. We’ve done all of that and for some reason, they have not. 

Of course, we ultimately want to reach an agreement with Ukraine, but right now this is simply practically impossible — legally impossible. 

On U.S. sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil

After the negotiations in Alaska, I thought we had an understanding of where we were and what would need to be done to stop these hostilities. Then we parted ways, because both President Trump and I said that we needed to return to our respective capitals, think it over, and consult with our administrations, governments, agencies, and allies. And after that, we agreed to move forward. 

There was no conflict between Russia and the U.S. on these issues, we remained on the Anchorage platform. And suddenly, the United States announces the introduction of sanctions against two of our oil companies. In connection with what? Honestly, I didn’t even understand what had happened.

On the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine

We’re maintaining positive momentum on all fronts. Moreover, the pace of our troops in all of these directions is increasing noticeably. I don’t want to make any mistakes with regard to the number of kilometers, but from month to month, the amount, let’s say, of territory recaptured by our troops is increasing in all major directions. In other words, the pace of troop movement is accelerating.