Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed suggestions that Russia poses a threat to Europe, describing such claims as “outright lies and nonsense” while publicly acknowledging a US-brokered peace plan for Ukraine for the first time.
Speaking at a Collective Security Treaty Organisation security council meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, Putin announced that Russia is prepared for “serious” negotiations and confirmed that a US delegation will arrive in Moscow next week.
“There was a line of questions put forward for discussion,” Putin said, noting that no “final versions” have been agreed upon.
During his address to member states including Belarus, the Russian leader claimed that Russian forces had completely encircled the cities of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad in the Donetsk region.
Putin also responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s demand that Russia withdraw from occupied Ukrainian territories as a precondition for ending the war. Warning that Russian troops continue to advance, Putin stated: “If Ukrainian soldiers leave the occupied territories, then we will cease hostilities. If they do not leave, we will achieve it by military means.”
Addressing questions at the security council meeting, Putin declared that signing agreements with Ukraine’s current leadership would be “pointless.”
The Russian president’s comments came as France announced plans to reintroduce a limited form of military service next year, marking a significant policy shift twenty-five years after the country abolished conscription.
French President Emmanuel Macron justified the measure as a response to growing concerns about potential conflict with Russia. “The only way to avoid danger is to prepare for it,” Macron stated.
The developments signal both potential diplomatic movement on the Ukraine conflict and continued tensions between Russia and Western nations, with European countries taking concrete steps to bolster their defense capabilities amid ongoing uncertainties about regional security.
