Speaking on Thursday in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek – where he attended the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led military alliance that includes some former Soviet republics – Putin dismissed claims that Moscow was planning to attack Europe as “ridiculous”.
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The Russian president told reporters, “The truth is that we never intended to do this. But if they want to hear it from us, we will document it. No question.”
Putin’s denials that Moscow is planning another invasion have drawn skepticism from European leaders, who point to the fact that he had repeatedly denied that Russia would invade Ukraine before doing so in February 2022.
In response to questions about efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Putin expressed optimism about the draft United States-backed peace plan, saying it could serve as “a basis for future agreements.”
While Putin said Russia was ready for “serious” discussions to end the war, he also warned that Moscow was prepared to fight and annex more of Ukraine if necessary.
He reiterated that a fundamental condition for ending the fighting was that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, including abandoning areas that Russian troops do not currently control.
He said, “Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the areas where they are currently – then the fighting will stop. If they do not withdraw, we will achieve this by military means.”
Ukraine has said such a withdrawal would open the way for a Russian attack on its capital, Kiev.
‘The President has lost his legitimate position’
Putin also suggested he was open to a negotiated solution with Kiev, but once again branded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government illegitimate, and said it was “legally impossible” to sign any deal with him.
Putin repeated previous unfounded claims, saying, “Broadly speaking, of course, we eventually want to reach an agreement with Ukraine. But right now, it is practically impossible.” Kyiv lost the right to govern after failing to hold elections when Zelensky’s presidential term ends in May 2024.
Putin said, “The Ukrainian leadership made a fundamental strategic mistake by fearing presidential elections, because since then, the president has lost his legitimate status.”
Kiev has said it cannot hold elections while under martial law and defending its territory against Russian attacks. In February, lawmakers in Ukraine’s parliament overwhelmingly approved a resolution confirming the legitimacy of Zelensky to remain in office.
Putin also claimed that, due to the alleged illegitimacy of the Zelensky government, any peace agreement must be recognized by the international community, and the international community must also recognize Russian gains in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, reiterated on Thursday that Zelensky “will not sign the territory”.
“As long as Zelensky is president, no one should be trusted to leave our region,” Yermak told the American magazine The Atlantic.
Last week, the US unveiled a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine that was widely seen as extremely favorable to Russia. It called on Kiev to make major concessions, including giving up territory and abandoning its NATO ambitions.
The plan has been changed with Ukrainian input, Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislitsya said, eliminating the 600,000-man limit on Ukraine’s military and general war crimes amnesty.
On Thursday, Zelensky said the Ukrainian delegation was ready to meet with Washington officials to work on the formula discussed at previous talks in Geneva to bring peace and provide security guarantees for Kiev.
He said further talks would take place next week, without giving details.
US representatives, including Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, are also scheduled to travel to Moscow next week to continue discussions on key issues including security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe.
Putin said his delegation intended to raise its “key issue” with the US delegation, specifically a passage in the peace plan that states Washington only wants to recognize Russia’s de facto control over Crimea and other Ukrainian territory, which Moscow claims as its own.
“Our talks with the American side will be exactly about this,” Putin said.
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