Putin Demands Land Cession for Peace, Calls U.S. Proposal a ‘Starting Point’ Amid Grinding War

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stark ultimatum on Thursday, declaring that the nearly four-year war in Ukraine will only end if Kyiv voluntarily withdraws from territories Moscow claims as its own, warning that otherwise, his forces will seize them by military means. Speaking during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, the Russian leader dismissed the possibility of a swift ceasefire without territorial concessions, asserting that his army is advancing steadily through eastern Ukraine in what has become the worst armed conflict in Europe since World War II.

According to reports from Agence France-Presse (AFP), Putin outlined a rigid condition for halting hostilities.

"If Ukrainian forces leave the territories they hold, then we will stop combat operations," he stated. "If they don't, then we will achieve it by military means."

This declaration highlights one of the most significant stumbling blocks in ongoing peace efforts: the status of occupied land. Russia currently controls approximately one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, yet Moscow is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the eastern Donetsk region—territory that Russian forces have not yet managed to capture despite years of costly battles.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Putin’s comments were his first public reaction to a renewed push by Washington to end the war.

 The White House has put forward a comprehensive peace proposal, originally a 28-point plan, which the Russian President described as a "starting point" for negotiations. "Some of our partners try to rush this agreement," Putin noted, adding that while the proposal requires significant work, "overall, we agree that it could form the basis for future agreements."

The U.S. plan, as detailed by the WSJ, includes provisions to cap the size of the Ukrainian military, bar Ukraine’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and hand Russia land in Ukraine’s east. 

AFP noted that the original American draft was created without input from Ukraine’s European allies and would have seen the United States de facto recognize the Donetsk, Crimea, and Lugansk regions as Russian. However, following criticism from Kyiv and European capitals over the weekend, Washington pared back the document, which is now thought to be shortened to about 20 points.

Despite the diplomatic maneuvering, the situation on the ground remains fierce. Putin claimed on Thursday that Russian forces had successfully encircled the Ukrainian army in the key cities of Pokrovsk and Myrnograd (referred to by Putin as Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov) in the Donetsk region.

He asserted that the Russian offensive "is practically impossible to hold back, so there is little that can be done about it."

However, AFP reported that Ukraine has strongly denied these claims, insisting that its forces continue to hold the enemy along the front line. Data analyzed by AFP from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicates that Russian forces have accelerated their gains, conquering an average of 467 square kilometers each month in 2025, a notable increase from the previous year.

The diplomatic chasm between Moscow and Kyiv remains vast. Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, vehemently rejected the notion of territorial concessions in an interview with the U.S. outlet The Atlantic, published Thursday.

"As long as Zelensky is president, no one should count on us giving up territory. He will not sign away territory," Yermak said. He clarified that realistic discussions could only focus on defining the "line of contact" along the sprawling 1,100-kilometer front.

Complicating matters further, Putin questioned the legitimacy of President Zelensky, who has been leading Ukraine’s defense since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The Russian leader suggested that signing any agreement with Zelensky would be legally "almost impossible" at the moment, a stance that has drawn sharp criticism from Kyiv and its Western allies.

The WSJ also reported that Putin addressed for the first time leaked conversations involving U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. The leak appeared to show Witkoff coaching Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, on how to handle President Trump.

"Maybe they’re fakes, maybe they are eavesdropped conversations," Putin remarked regarding the transcripts. "But it’s a crime to intercept calls."

Diplomatic efforts are set to intensify in the coming days. Putin confirmed that U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Moscow next week to discuss the revised peace document. Simultaneously, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is scheduled to visit Kyiv later this week, according to Yermak.

While Putin expressed appreciation for the Trump administration’s efforts to solve the conflict, stating that the U.S. was taking Russia’s perspective into account, he maintained that Moscow is still seeking international recognition of the occupied territories—a demand that Kyiv has vowed never to accept.