Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that upcoming peace negotiations regarding the conflict in Ukraine must prioritize mutual security guarantees and establish a comprehensive security architecture spanning the entire European continent.
In an interview with Russian state television broadcast on Thursday, following his meeting with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, Putin confirmed Moscow’s readiness to resume US-mediated negotiations with Kyiv scheduled for next month.
The Russian leader reiterated the Kremlin’s longstanding stance that Russia did not seek to initiate the conflict, but encountered hostile responses from Ukraine regarding core geopolitical issues vital to Moscow’s national interests.
While acknowledging that discussions on various subjects could yield positive results, Putin emphasized that Russia remains committed to securing a definitive resolution that ends the conflict permanently, rather than implementing a temporary or short-lived ceasefire.
“The objective of these negotiations is to secure lasting security guarantees for both Ukraine and Russia through finalized peace agreements, rather than via a temporary, short-term cessation of hostilities. We are prepared to resume these diplomatic channels to achieve this definitive goal,” Putin stated.
US Envoy Witkoff: Ukraine Backs Any Ceasefire Proposal
Putin noted that envoy Witkoff emphasized the necessity of discussing the broader architecture of European security, a point with which the Russian president agreed, expressing optimism for the developments in the coming days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his meeting with Witkoff in Norway earlier this week, affirmed that Ukraine is prepared for talks expected to commence in early next month. Kyiv actively supports any viable proposals aimed at achieving a ceasefire, ending the war, establishing an energy truce, or launching humanitarian initiatives.
Diplomatic efforts led by the United States to facilitate negotiations faced significant setbacks in February, coinciding with the outbreak of the geopolitical conflict between the US and Israel with Iran.
Central to the conflict are territorial disputes, with Moscow demanding the cession of the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine—a demand firmly rejected by Kyiv, which refuses to consider surrendering any territory currently under its control.
In his remarks, Putin insisted that any negotiations regarding eastern Ukraine must acknowledge what he describes as the region’s status as “historically Russian land.”
Furthermore, Putin argued that the local population formally chose to join Russia through referendums held approximately seven months after the initiation of the military operation.
“Our position on this matter is clear: this is not Ukrainian territory, but rather the territory of historical Russia,” he asserted.
Renewed Russian Strikes on Kyiv Amid Ongoing Peace Efforts
Despite active diplomatic overtures to end the conflict, the escalation continued on Thursday as Russia launched ballistic missile strikes against Kyiv, while Ukraine responded with hundreds of drone strikes targeting Moscow.
US President Donald Trump announced that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had restored Starlink satellite internet access for Ukraine, resolving a key point of friction between Washington and Kyiv that had previously raised concerns regarding sustained American support.
Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia launched at least 21 ballistic missiles in three successive waves. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy noted that three of these missiles carried cluster munitions—submunitions designed to disperse over wide areas and widely banned due to their severe threat to civilian populations. The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on these claims.
In retaliation, Russia’s military claimed that Ukraine deployed 630 unmanned aerial vehicles toward Moscow overnight.
In a separate development, the warring sides executed a prisoner and casualty exchange, with Moscow repatriating 252 bodies in exchange for 25, according to the Belarusian state news agency Belta. Historically, such humanitarian exchanges have coincided with diplomatic breakthroughs leading up to peace talks.
