Russian President Vladimir Putin firmly reiterated his hardline stance that Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the eastern Donbas region; otherwise, Russia will use military force to take control and reject any compromise proposals to end the war, despite recent peace plan discussions involving U.S. representatives in Moscow.
Putin told the India Today website before his trip to New Delhi, "We will liberate these territories by force, or else the Ukrainian army must leave these lands." Currently, Russia controls about 85% of the Donbas region.
Putin's remarks came after a delegation led by former U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Biegun, visited Moscow on Tuesday, 2 Dec. Trump described the talks as "quite good" but said it was too soon to predict the outcome, noting that "cooperation from both sides" is necessary.
However, Yuri Ushakov, senior foreign policy advisor and key negotiator for Putin, immediately stated after the talks that there would be "no compromise" to end the war, also implying that Russia's negotiating position had strengthened due to recent battlefield successes.
The original U.S. peace plan proposed transferring Ukrainian-controlled areas in Donbas to de facto Russian control, but Biegun's team presented a revised plan during the Moscow talks, which Putin said he had not seen before discussions with Biegun and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
Putin said they needed to review all points, which prolonged the talks, and admitted Russia disagreed with parts of the U.S. plan without specifying the main disputes. The key unresolved issues remain the fate of Ukrainian territories seized by Russia and security guarantees for Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to cede territory to Russia and accused Russia of delaying a ceasefire agreement to try to seize more Ukrainian land.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Yermak commented on the talks, saying Putin is "wasting the world's time," while Ukraine has consistently insisted that any agreement must include clear security guarantees.
Earlier, on 23 November, Ukrainian negotiators made significant changes to the original U.S. peace plan, which was seen as heavily favoring Russia, by drafting a "refined and improved peace framework" during talks with U.S. representatives in Geneva.
The White House issued a statement saying the President's National Security team is working tirelessly to halt the conflict and has held productive meetings to gather feedback from both sides to promote a sustainable and enforceable peace.
/BBC