Overview
- Vladimir Putin said Ukraine must withdraw its forces from the Donbas or Russia will seize it by force, a message delivered in an interview with India Today.
- Putin reiterated that the military campaign ends only after Russia has “liberated” Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, rejecting territorial concessions.
- U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin in the Kremlin to discuss a modified peace proposal whose details were not disclosed; Putin said he had not seen the new text before the meeting.
- Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said the talks produced no compromise and claimed Russia’s negotiating position has strengthened with battlefield gains, as reports estimate Moscow holds about 85% of the Donbas and roughly 20% of Ukraine, with some analysts projecting full control could take years.
- Kyiv reaffirmed it will not cede sovereign land, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha calling Moscow’s dialogue a waste of time, while a Der Spiegel report of European fears over U.S. concessions drew a denial from the Élysée.