On this pool {photograph} distributed by the Russian state company Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a gathering of the Collective Safety Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Heads of State Council on the Yntymak Ordo (Palace of Unity) presidential residence in Bishkek on November 27, 2025.
Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Photos
Russian President Vladimir Putin has damaged his silence on a U.S.-backed peace plan to finish the conflict in Ukraine, saying Moscow is prepared for “severe” discussions in regards to the draft proposals.
Putin mentioned Thursday that the outlines of a fledgling peace plan that has been reached by the U.S. and Ukraine may very well be the premise of a deal that ends the virtually four-year lengthy battle.
“Basically, we agree that this may be the premise for future agreements,” Putin mentioned in feedback made throughout a visit to Kyrgyzstan and translated by Reuters.
The president added that the U.S. gave the impression to be taking Russia’s place on a peace settlement “into consideration” and that Moscow was prepared for “severe discussions” when U.S. particular envoy Steve Witkoff travels to Moscow subsequent week for talks.
It is the primary time Putin has publicly addressed a peace plan since a flurry of diplomacy between the U.S. and Ukraine in the previous couple of days. These talks got here after reviews final week of a U.S.-Russia devised 28-point peace plan, which appeared to closely favor Russia’s calls for.
Ukraine and its European allies’ scrambled to mount a response, amending the plan and inserting counter proposals which have been mentioned in Geneva final weekend with a U.S. delegation led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
All eyes on Russia
The present draft plan, which has reportedly been slimmed all the way down to 19 key proposals, seems to have obtained Ukraine’s tentative backing, placing the ball again in Russia’s courtroom as as to whether it may settle for the framework and construct upon it.
On Wednesday, Putin’s shut aide Yuri Ushakov had claimed that Russia had not even seen an official model of the most recent U.S.-backed draft deal for Ukraine, however that it had seen an unofficial model.
Concerning the plan it had seen, Ushakov mentioned the Kremlin considered some points of the plan positively whereas “a number of of its factors require severe evaluation.”
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy international minister, mentioned Moscow welcomed U.S. efforts on peace proposals however mentioned “there are not any concessions on key points on the Ukraine settlement,” suggesting there may very well be far to journey earlier than a deal is definitely reached.
Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov warned on Wednesday towards leaping to conclusions concerning an finish to the conflict, which Russia launched when it invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022.
“Wait. It is too early to say that,” Peskov instructed reporters, state information company TASS reported, when requested whether or not this was the closest Russia and Ukraine had ever been to concluding a peace settlement.
Putin on Thursday praised Russian advances in Ukraine and instructed reporters that the combating in Ukraine would cease solely when Ukrainian troops withdraw from their positions in key areas.
If they didn’t accomplish that, then Russian forces would obtain their targets by pressure, he added, showing to recommend that Moscow was not keen to surrender certainly one of its key targets within the conflict (and contained inside the preliminary peace plan secretly drafted with the U.S.) which was to have full management of Ukraine’s japanese Donbas area.
CNBC has contacted the Kremlin for additional remark and is awaiting a response.
Ukraine on board, tentatively
A number of retailers reported Tuesday {that a} Ukrainian delegation that had held talks with U.S. officers in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday appeared to tentatively assist the premise of a U.S.-backed peace plan — although key particulars remained unresolved.
ABC Information and CBS Information each reported an unnamed U.S. official had mentioned that the Ukrainians “have agreed” to the deal, whereas including there have been nonetheless factors that needed to be ironed out. It was unclear if each tales quoted the identical U.S. official.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned later Tuesday that Kyiv was able to advance the peace framework, Reuters reported, citing a replica of a speech the president gave to a coalition of allied nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned on the White Home on Tuesday, “I feel we’re getting very near a deal. We’ll discover out … I feel we’re making progress.”
In a Reality Social publish later Tuesday afternoon, Trump mentioned, “there are just a few remaining factors of disagreement.”
