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.
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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.
U.S. rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, performed to a crowd of 118,000 people in Istanbul on Saturday night, marking his first concert in Europe in more than a decade, despite being barred from performing in several countries over past antisemitic remarks.
Iranian-made Yassin missiles were spotted mounted on Armenian Air Force fighter aircraft during Armenia's latest military parade on Thursday (28 May), drawing attention from defence observers and regional analysts.
The Philippines remains under a "severe threat" from China despite recent efforts by Washington and Beijing to ease tensions, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Saturday (30 May).
Thai rescuers say five people have been pulled alive from a flooded cave in remote Laos, where seven villagers became trapped after heavy rain cut off access underground.
Russia has recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations, citing Yerevan's growing rapprochement with the European Union. The move is seen as the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the longtime allies ahead of Armenia's parliamentary election on 7 June.
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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is continuing to spread, with 263 confirmed cases and 43 deaths reported as of 30 May.
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