Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has once again taken a hard line on the future of eastern Ukraine, saying that Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the Donbas or Russia will take the region by force. In an interview with India Today ahead of his trip to New Delhi, he made it clear that Moscow would not accept any territorial concessions that fall short of its demands.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly rejected giving up any part of Ukrainian land, including areas currently occupied by Russian forces. His position has remained unchanged since the early stages of the war: Ukraine will not trade territory for a ceasefire.
Putin’s remarks came shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump said that his negotiators felt Russia “would like to end the war” following high-level discussions in Moscow. The U.S. delegation, led by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, plans to hold follow-up talks with the Ukrainian side in Florida. Trump described the talks as “reasonably good,” but cautioned that meaningful progress requires cooperation from both sides.
At this point, Russian forces control roughly 85% of the Donbas. Early drafts of the U.S. peace plan reportedly suggested handing remaining Ukrainian-held areas of the Donbas to Russia’s de facto control—something Kyiv firmly opposed.
Putin said that Moscow disagreed with several elements of the U.S. proposal and had not received an updated version before his nearly five-hour discussion with Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Because of this, he said, the Russian side had to review the entire proposal point by point. He did not specify which parts were unacceptable, but major disagreements are known to include the future status of occupied territories and the scope of security guarantees for Ukraine.
Yuri Ushakov, one of Putin’s senior advisers and a key figure in the negotiations, stated that the meeting ended with “no compromise.” He also hinted that Russia’s negotiating stance has grown more confident due to what Moscow describes as recent battlefield gains.
Ukraine, however, sharply dismissed Moscow’s tone. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybhia accused Putin of “wasting the world’s time,” while Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington said Kyiv cannot wait for promises that may never materialize. Zelensky has insisted that any deal must include robust long-term security assurances for Ukraine, especially as Russian forces continue to push forward in the southeast despite heavy losses.
Ukrainian officials also said they had successfully pushed for revisions to the initial U.S. plan during recent talks in Geneva. Together with American representatives, they said they produced an “updated and refined peace framework,” though no details have been released.
European leaders—who have been wary of the early U.S. proposals—were also in Geneva for separate consultations. A report from Germany’s Der Spiegel claimed that during a private call earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced concerns that Washington might pressure Kyiv into territorial concessions without securing strong safety guarantees. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb reportedly urged European partners not to leave Ukraine “alone.”
However, Macron’s office later denied the wording attributed to him, citing confidentiality. German and Finnish officials have not publicly commented on the report, and the transcript has not been independently verified.
The White House has not yet responded to the inquiries.
As the conflict approaches its third year, Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory. Despite the heavy toll on both sides, fighting in parts of southeastern Ukraine has intensified, putting additional urgency on discussions about how—and whether—the war might eventually end.
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