Putin backs Trump’s peace plan as basis for settlement, warns of more territorial gains if Kyiv rejects it

Putin says Trump's Ukraine peace plan could be basis for final settlement

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday confirmed that Moscow has received a US proposal to end the war in Ukraine, a plan he suggested could serve as the foundation for a negotiated settlement, even as he issued fresh threats of territorial expansion if Kyiv rejects it.

Putin, addressing senior officials in televised remarks, said the plan presented by US President Donald Trump “can be used as the basis for a final peaceful settlement.” He noted, however, that Washington and Moscow have not yet held detailed talks on the proposal.

“I believe that it can be used as the basis for a final peaceful settlement,” Putin said, adding that “the American side asked us to make certain compromises and show flexibility.”

The Russian leader said U.S. and Russian officials had previously discussed the terms “in Anchorage,” and that Moscow had shown willingness to accept parts of it despite “certain complex issues and difficulties for us.”

According to reporting on the proposal, it would require Ukraine to accept the current Russian control of Crimea and large areas in the east, territories internationally recognized as Ukrainian, and to withdraw from parts of Donetsk still under Kyiv’s control.

The draft also calls for significant cuts to Ukraine’s military and a reduction of American defense assistance, conditions viewed by Kyiv as unacceptable. Putin claimed that Ukraine and its European partners “are still under illusions” about the situation on the battlefield.

He warned that if Kyiv refuses the deal, Russian troops will continue to advance:
“If Kyiv does not want to discuss President Trump’s proposal and refuses to do so, then both they and the European warmongers should understand that the events that took place in Kupiansk will inevitably be repeated in other key sectors of the front. Overall, this situation is acceptable to us.”

Putin argued that neither Kyiv nor European governments have recognized what he called the “reality” of Russian gains, saying forces would keep pushing “unless there was peace.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country is being forced to choose between its sovereignty and continued support from Washington, a choice he insists Ukraine will not make.

Putin also asserted that Russian forces had seized almost full control of Kupiansk earlier this month, a claim Kyiv denies, again warning that similar offensives would follow if Ukraine rejects the U.S. terms. “If Kyiv does not want to discuss President Trump’s proposal and refuses to do so, then both they and the European warmongers should understand what comes next,” he said.