President Vladimir Putin has doubled down on his core demands for ending the war in Ukraine, saying Russia will lay down arms only if Kyiv's troops withdraw from territory claimed by Moscow.
Putin has long pushed for legal recognition of the Ukrainian territories Russia has seized by force, including the southern Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014, and the eastern Donbas region, which Moscow now occupies for the most part.
For Kyiv, which has ruled out relinquishing the parts of the Donbas it still holds, rewarding Russia for its aggression is a non-starter.
Speaking after Putin's address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia scorned efforts to truly end the war.
During a trip to Kyrgyzstan, Putin accused Kyiv of wanting to fight to the last Ukrainian, which he said Russia was in principle also ready to do. He maintained that Russia has the initiative on the battlefield and that end to fighting would arrive only when Ukrainian troops withdrew from Donbas.
Putin stated, If they don't withdraw, we'll achieve this by force of arms. However, this slow progress has come at a significant cost. Reports suggest it would take Moscow almost two more years to seize the remaining parts of the Donetsk region.
Putin's statements followed recent intense diplomatic efforts that saw the US and Ukraine discussing a peace plan. This plan, however, does not address the crucial issue of the occupied territories.
While presenting a draft peace plan that could potentially be the basis for future negotiations, Putin lamented that it was absolutely necessary to address specific points that need diplomatic articulation.
As US special envoys prepare to meet in Moscow, Ukrainian officials continue to push for security guarantees and a resolution that respects Ukraine's territorial integrity, amidst skepticism towards Putin's intentions to end hostilities.
