Putin calls Trump’s peace plan a ‘starting point’ as he warns Ukraine to pull back or face 'force'

Vladimir Putin connected Thursday expressed involvement successful utilizing President Trump’s bid program arsenic a negotiating departure constituent to extremity the astir four-year warfare betwixt Ukraine and Russia.

"We request to beryllium down and sermon this seriously," Putin told reporters astatine the extremity of a three-day sojourn to Kyrgyzstan, according to an Associated Press report. He added, "Every connection matters."

Putin described U.S. President Donald Trump’s program arsenic "a acceptable of issues enactment guardant for discussion" alternatively than a draught agreement.

RUSSIA WARNS IT MAY REJECT US-UKRAINE PEACE PLAN IF IT FAILS TO UPHOLD ALASKA SUMMIT 'UNDERSTANDINGS'

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures portion speaking to Russian journalists aft the acme of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) successful Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, connected Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025.  (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

"If Ukrainian troops retreat from the territories they occupy, hostilities volition cease. If they don’t withdraw, we volition execute this by force," the Russian strongman said.

Andy Barr, R-Ky., a House Foreign Affairs Committee member, told Fox News Digital the concern reinforces the request for beardown American leadership. "Russia invaded Ukraine due to the fact that Joe Biden was the weakest president successful American history."

Barr, a campaigner for U.S. Senate successful Kentucky said, "President Trump’s peace-through-strength enactment kept Putin afloat contained. This warfare ne'er would person happened nether his watch. Trump is the bid president… the lone person who tin extremity this warfare and bring stableness backmost to Europe."

However, Putin critics judge helium is seeking to instrumentality the U.S. and the European Union.

The erstwhile satellite chess champion Garry Kasparov, who predicted Putin’s jingoism and penetration of Ukraine, told the Polish planetary quality web TVP that "Peace nether Putin is unachievable for 1 elemental reason: Putin is warfare — and Russia is gearing up for adjacent more."

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff during a gathering successful Moscow, Russia Aug. 6, 2025.  (Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters)

Kasparov has besides criticized NATO, Trump and the EU for failing to support Ukraine and evict Russia from Ukraine’s full territory.

"We beryllium them everything," Kasparov precocious said about Ukraine astatine the Halifax International Security Forum.

MOMENTUM BUILDS IN UKRAINE PEACE PUSH, BUT EXPERTS FEAR PUTIN WON’T BUDGE

Kremlin officials person had small to accidental truthful acold astir the bid program enactment guardant past week by Trump. Putin has been recalcitrant astir accepting erstwhile Trump plans to extremity the war.

Putin has demanded that Ukraine wholly retreat from the entirety of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions earlier Russia considers immoderate benignant of "peace negotiations" — notably including areas of each of those oblasts that Russia does not occupy. He besides wants to support Ukraine from joining NATO and hosting immoderate Western troops, allowing Moscow to gradually propulsion the state backmost into its orbit.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, speech to the property arsenic their consultations proceed astatine the U.S. Mission to International Organizations successful Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

The Institute for the Study of War connected Wednesday formed uncertainty connected Russian claims that its penetration is unstoppable arsenic it is inactive struggling to capture cities successful the eastbound Donetsk region.

"Data connected Russian forces’ complaint of beforehand indicates that a Russian subject triumph successful Ukraine is not inevitable, and a accelerated Russian seizure of the remainder of Donetsk Oblast is not imminent," the Washington-based deliberation vessel said. "Recent Russian advances elsewhere connected the beforehand enactment person mostly been opportunistic and exploited seasonal upwind conditions.

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U.S. peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff is acceptable to sojourn Moscow adjacent week, the Kremlin says, portion U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who successful caller weeks has played a high-profile relation successful the bid efforts, whitethorn beryllium heading to Kyiv.   

The archetypal U.S. bid connection was criticized for being skewed toward Russian demands, but an amended mentation emerged from talks successful Geneva connected Sunday betwixt American and Ukrainian officials. Sidelined European leaders, fearing for their ain information amid Russian aggression, are angling for deeper engagement successful the process.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.