Outlined draft peace proposals discussed by the United States and Ukraine could become the basis of future agreements to end the conflict in Ukraine, but if not, Russia would fight on, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
A leaked 28-point U.S. peace plan emerged last week, spooking Ukrainian and European officials who felt it bowed to Moscow's key demands on NATO, Moscow's control of a fifth of Ukraine and restrictions on Ukraine's army.
European powers then gave their counter-proposal for peace and at talks in Geneva, the U.S. and Ukraine said they had created an "updated and refined peace framework" to end the war.
Putin, speaking in Bishkek after a summit with the leaders of a grouping of former Soviet republics, told reporters that the discussions so far were not about a draft agreement of any kind but about sets of issues.
He said that in Geneva, the U.S. and Ukraine had decided to divide up the 28 points into four separate components - and that a copy had been transmitted to Moscow.
"In general, we agree that this could be the basis for future agreements," Putin said. "We see that the American side takes into account our position."
Putin said that some things still needed to be discussed. If Europe wanted a pledge not to attack it, then Russia was willing to give such a formal pledge, he said, though he added that it was "complete nonsense" to suggest Russia would attack Europe.
Putin mixed a clear public expression of readiness to engage with the Trump administration over a possible peace plan for Ukraine with several warnings that Russia was prepared to fight on if necessary and take more of Ukraine.
"Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the territories they hold, and then the fighting will cease. If they don't leave, then we shall achieve this by armed means. That's it," Putin said.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to visit Moscow early next week, and Putin said. U.S. sanctions on Russian oil companies were unexpected, he added.
Lithuania on Tuesday declared a state of emergency due to threats to public safety from smuggled balloons originating in Belarus, the government said....
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At a WHO supported malnutrition ward in Khartoum, doctors and mothers describe children arriving too weak to eat or drink as nearly three years of con...
Beijing has launched a scathing diplomatic attack on Tokyo, accusing Japan of exploiting the Taiwan issue to destabilise the region, following a dange...
Thailand says it carried out air and ground operations along the Cambodian border as hostilities escalated, breaking the U.S. brokered ceasefire that ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin met U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin on Tuesday, marking the highest-level contact yet in Donald Trump’s push to broker a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
At least 26 people have been killed and many were listed as missing in a Russian drone and missile attack overnight that hit apartment buildings in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, Ukraine's interior minister Ihor Klymenko said on Wednesday.
The U.S. has signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine must accept a U.S.-drafted framework to end the war with Russia that proposes Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight air attack on Ukraine on September 3, injuring at least four railway workers and damaging key infrastructure, Ukrainian authorities say.
A coup attempt by a “small group of soldiers” has been foiled in Benin after hours of gunfire struck parts of the economic capital Cotonou, officials said on Sunday.
A delayed local vote in the rural Honduran town of San Antonio de Flores has become a pivotal moment in the country’s tightest presidential contest, with both campaigns watching its results as counting stretches into a second week.
Authorities in Japan lifted all tsunami warnings on Tuesday following a strong 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck off the northeastern coast late on Monday, injuring at least 30 people and forcing around 90,000 residents to evacuate their homes.
Lava fountains shot from Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano from dawn to dusk on Saturday, with new footage showing intensifying activity at the north vent.
McLaren’s Lando Norris became Formula One world champion for the first time in Abu Dhabi, edging Max Verstappen to the title by just two points after a tense season finale.
Lithuania on Tuesday declared a state of emergency due to threats to public safety from smuggled balloons originating in Belarus, the government said.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 9th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
At a WHO supported malnutrition ward in Khartoum, doctors and mothers describe children arriving too weak to eat or drink as nearly three years of conflict, displacement and disease push Sudan towards famine.
Beijing has launched a scathing diplomatic attack on Tokyo, accusing Japan of exploiting the Taiwan issue to destabilise the region, following a dangerous naval encounter involving fire-control radar locks in the Pacific.
Thailand says it carried out air and ground operations along the Cambodian border as hostilities escalated, breaking the U.S. brokered ceasefire that halted five days of clashes in July.
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