President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the Donbas region, warning “Either we liberate these territories by force, or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories.” The demand directly conflicts with Ukraine’s position, as President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out ceding territory. The statement follows recent Moscow talks between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff, which Putin said produced no compromise on ending the war, with his senior adviser Yuri Ushakov stating the negotiations resulted in “no compromise.”
The talks centered on a modified US peace plan, which Putin said he had not seen beforehand and contained elements Moscow “can’t agree” with. Meanwhile, a leaked transcript of a European leaders’ call, unverified by the BBC, reportedly contained warnings about the US negotiations, with one leader cautioning, “We mustn’t leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys.” The French presidency denied its leader used the quoted words but declined to provide details.