RVladimir Putin said on Friday that the Russia-US peace plan could “form the basis for a final peace settlement” but continued to threaten Ukraine with further military aggression.
Delivering a winding address to Russia’s Security Council, the Russian president beseeched the US to “show flexibility” and find “necessary compromises” on the document which has been viewed by European allies and Kyiv as an almost complete capitulation to Moscow’s demands.
Confirming that he had received the deal from the US, Putin said that he regarded the plan as a possible basis for a final settlement to end the war in Ukraine, but also described it as merely a “modernized” version of that discussed at a bilateral US-Russian summit in Alaska in August.
“We can see that after the negotiations in Alaska, there was a certain pause on the American side,” Putin said. “And we know that this is connected to Ukraine’s de facto rejection of the peace settlement plan proposed by President Trump.”
“I believe this is precisely why a new version has emerged, essentially a modernized plan made up of 28 points.”
“We have this text. We received it through existing channels of communication with the American administration… But this text has not been discussed with us in any substantive way. And I can guess why. The reason, I believe, is the same – the US administration has so far been unable to secure the consent of the Ukrainian side. Ukraine is against it.”
Continuing his tirade, the Russian president said that Russia is satisfied with current dynamics on the battlefield and would be happy to achieve its goals by military means.
“Apparently, Ukraine and its European allies are still living under illusions and dream of inflicting a strategic defeat over Russia on the battlefield,” he said.
“If Kyiv does not want to discuss President Trump’s proposals and refuses it, then both they and the European warmongers should understand that the events that took place in Kupyansk will inevitably be repeated in other key areas of the front,” Putin continued.
This was in reference to disputed claims by the Kremlin on Thursday that Russian forces had seized the Ukrainian stronghold of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region.
The “victory” was announced in a televised report by Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s top general, during a visit by Putin – donning military garb – to a command post at an unspecified underground location.
Moscow has launched repeated grinding offensives to recapture the city since it was liberated from Russian control in September 2022.
However, the Ukrainian military, independent observation groups, eyewitnesses on the ground and even pro-government milbloggers have disputed the tenuous claim.
It came after Russia appeared reluctant to discuss the peace deal earlier in the day, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that he did not want to “negotiate such a complex matter in megaphone mode.”