Putin says Russia will fight on unless Ukraine cedes land
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Russian President Vladimir Putin was speaking at a news conference in Kyrgyzstan.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Putin stated Russia would halt its Ukraine offensive if Kyiv withdraws from territories Moscow claims; otherwise, Russia will seize them militarily.
- Washington is pushing for peace talks, presenting a revised plan, shortened to 20 points, which Putin sees as a potential basis for agreement.
- Putin questioned Zelensky's legitimacy, hindering agreements, while Russia's military advances continue, capturing an average of 467 sq km monthly in 2025.
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BISHKEK - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Nov 27 that he would end his Ukraine offensive if Kyiv withdrew from territory Moscow claims at its own – otherwise his army would take it by force.
The Russian army has been slowly but steadily grinding through eastern Ukraine in costly battles against outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces.
“If Ukrainian forces leave the territories they hold, then we will stop combat operations,” the Russian leader said during a visit to Kyrgyzstan. “If they don’t, then we will achieve it by military means.”
Russia controls around one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
The issue of occupied land, which Kyiv has said it will never cede, is among the biggest stumbling blocks in the peace process.
Another important issue in the talks are Western security guarantees for Ukraine, which Kyiv says are needed to prevent Moscow from invading again in the future.
Washington’s original plan – drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies
The US pared back the original plan over the weekend following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but has not yet released the new version.
President Putin, who has seen the new plan, said it could be a negotiation starter.
“Overall, we agree that it could form the basis for future agreements,” he said, of the latest draft, which the US is thought to have shortened to about 20 points.
US negotiator Steve Witkoff was expected in Moscow next week to discuss the revised document, the Russian leader said.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is, meanwhile, due to visit Kyiv later this week, Ukraine’s top presidential aide Andriy Yermak said.
‘Little can be done’
In his remarks on Nov 27, Mr Putin repeated the claim that Russia had encircled the Ukrainian army in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region – the most fiercely embattled area and a key target for Moscow’s forces.
“Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov are completely surrounded,” he said, using the Russian names for the cities.
Moscow was also advancing in Vovchansk and Siversk, as well as approaching the important logistic hub of Huliaipole, he added.
The Russian offensive “is practically impossible to hold back, so there is little that can be done about it”, Mr Putin said.
Ukraine has denied Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad are encircled, insisting its forces continue to hold the enemy
Mr Putin also questioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy
According to data analysed by AFP from the American Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces have conquered an average of 467 square kilometres each month in 2025 – a step up from 2024.
Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the worst armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.
Commenting on the leak of a recorded call between top advisers to Mr Trump and Mr Putin, the Kremlin chief rejected the suggestion that Mr Witkoff had shown himself to be biased
Bloomberg News published the transcript of an Oct 14 telephone call
