Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukrainian soldiers must leave the Donbas region or Russia will take it by force, thus rejecting any compromise on ending the war, writes the BBC.
During a visit to India, Putin told local media that Russia will either liberate the territories by force or the Ukrainians must leave them themselves. Moscow currently controls about 85% of the Donbas territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out the possibility that Ukraine could return the territories.
Putin’s statements follow the statement of US President Donald Trump that his envoys have said that Putin would like to end the war. Trump said the talks in Moscow, where the US was represented by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had gone quite well, but added that it was too early to say what would happen next. The Kremlin said on the morning of the 5th of December that it was awaiting a response from Washington after the talks. Kremlin adviser Yuri
Ushakov said there were currently no plans for a phone call between Putin and Trump, and no date had been set for new talks with Witkoff.
The initial version of the US peace plan, which unexpectedly became public in the second half of November, envisaged the transfer of large areas of territory to Moscow, including those controlled by Ukrainian forces. Witkoff’s team went to Moscow to discuss a revised version of the peace plan. Speaking to Indian media, Putin said that he had not been presented with the new version of the plan before the meeting. He said that this meant that every point had to be reviewed anew, which is why the meeting dragged on for five hours. Moscow objected to several parts of the plan.
Putin did not name the problematic issues, but they were the territorial issue and security guarantees for Ukraine. Ushakov said after the meeting that the talks had not led to a compromise, adding that Moscow’s position was strengthened by successes achieved on the battlefield.
Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of delaying the agreement, indicating that the Russians are looking for ways to occupy as much Ukrainian territory as possible. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha said that Putin was wasting the world’s time. Kiev insists that strong security guarantees are needed. Zelensky said on the 3rd of December that the world believes that there is a real chance to end the war, but the talks must be accompanied by pressure on Russia.
The German media outlet
Der Spiegel reported on the 4th of December that it had obtained a confidential transcript of a conference call
in which European leaders expressed concerns about the US-led talks. French President Emmanuel Macron said there was a possibility that the US would betray Ukraine over territory while failing to provide any security guarantees. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Zelensky should be especially careful in the coming days: “They are playing games, both with you and with us.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb added that Ukraine and Zelensky should not be left alone with “these guys.”
In response to a query from Der Spiegel, the Elysee Palace said Macron had not said that. At the same time, the president’s office did not comment on what Macron had said, citing confidentiality. Mercz and Stubb also have not commented on the media report.
The White House told the BBC in a statement that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner and Trump’s entire national security team are working tirelessly to end the bloodshed in Ukraine.
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