Putin Says Russia Is “Ready for Peace,” Blames Kyiv for Stalled Talks as War in Ukraine Drags On

By Gloria Ogbonna

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday that Moscow is prepared to reach a peace agreement to end its invasion of Ukraine, but insisted that meaningful negotiations remain impossible because, in his view, Kyiv has not demonstrated genuine readiness to compromise.

The remarks were made during his annual end-of-year press conference, known as “Results of the Year,” where Putin addressed domestic and international issues before Russian and foreign journalists.

Putin’s comments come after a month of intensified diplomatic efforts led by the White House. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, U.S. officials unveiled a sweeping 28-point peace proposal aimed at halting active hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. Following consultations with the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that framework was reportedly reduced to 20 points.

Despite multiple rounds of talks involving envoys from the administration of President Donald Trump and senior Russian officials in Moscow, no concrete agreement has yet been reached. Throughout these negotiations, Russian forces have continued to carry out airstrikes and missile attacks across Ukraine.

During Friday’s press conference, Putin asserted that Russia could end the war “by peaceful means,” but only if Ukraine accepts Moscow’s long-standing demands, including territorial concessions and political guarantees.

“We have always talked about this, and we are ready and willing to end this conflict by peaceful means,” Putin said, according to Russia’s state news agency Tass.

He added that any settlement must be based on principles he outlined in June of last year at the Russian Foreign Ministry, which he said include “the elimination of the root causes that led to this crisis.”

Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian officials had recently signaled a willingness “to engage in some kind of dialogue,” but quickly dismissed those signals as insufficient. “So far, we truly do not see such readiness,” he claimed, placing responsibility for the lack of progress squarely on Kyiv.

The Russian leader also revisited events from 2022, arguing that Zelensky’s refusal to make concessions regarding Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region helped trigger the full-scale invasion.

Putin accused the Ukrainian government of rejecting proposals that, he claimed, would have allowed residents of the region to live peacefully under alternative governance arrangements.

“In 2022, when everything had already reached the brink, when the Ukrainian Kyiv regime unleashed war in the southeast of Ukraine, we simply told them: listen, we will be forced to recognize these unrecognized republics,” Putin said.

“It would be better if you simply let people live peacefully as they wish, without coups, without Russophobia and similar policies—just withdraw your troops from there. They refused once again.”

He went on to argue that Ukraine later abandoned all previous agreements and is now, in his words, refusing to end the conflict through peaceful negotiations.

Russia’s war against Ukraine, however, did not begin in 2022. Moscow first invaded Ukrainian territory in 2014, annexing Crimea and fueling armed conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region. This occurred five years before Zelensky—who was initially viewed by some as a potential compromise figure—won the presidency.

In February 2022, Putin escalated the conflict dramatically by launching a full-scale invasion, falsely labeling Zelensky, one of the world’s few Jewish heads of state, as a “Nazi.” Russia later claimed to annex the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, moves widely condemned by the international community as illegal.

The latest diplomatic push gained momentum in late November with the unveiling of the White House peace plan.

According to reports, the original proposal called for an immediate ceasefire by both sides. Ukraine would reportedly be asked to accept the loss of control over Crimea and the Donbass and agree to limits on the size of its military. In return, Kyiv would receive European Union membership and firm security guarantees.

The plan also reportedly required Zelensky to hold national elections within 100 days, a significant demand given that Ukrainian law prohibits elections during martial law—a status that would presumably end only after a peace agreement.

While the proposal has since been revised following discussions with both Kyiv and Moscow, neither side has publicly confirmed the details of the latest version.

After meetings with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin described the talks as challenging but worthwhile.

“This was a necessary conversation, a very concrete one,” Putin said in early December, adding that the discussions were “difficult” but “very useful.”

Despite the diplomatic efforts, the Kremlin has largely refused to discuss specifics of the peace plan publicly. In recent days, Putin has instead escalated his rhetoric, suggesting that Russia is preparing for prolonged or intensified military operations as early as 2026. Speaking to senior military officers earlier this week, he warned that if diplomacy fails, Russia will pursue its objectives through force.

“While I would prefer to eliminate the root causes of the conflict diplomatically, if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means,” Putin said.

He also claimed that Russia’s armed forces are now more capable than ever, describing them as “battle-hardened” and unmatched globally.

In contrast, Ukrainian officials have struck a more optimistic tone regarding the U.S.-backed peace framework. Kyiv has described the proposal as “very workable,” while emphasizing the need for stronger security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression.

“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” Zelensky said last week.

He also signaled flexibility on Ukraine’s long-standing goal of joining NATO, indicating that he would be willing to abandon that bid in exchange for binding security guarantees from the United States, ideally backed by congressional approval.

As diplomacy continues amid ongoing fighting, the gap between Moscow’s demands and Kyiv’s conditions remains wide, leaving the prospects for a negotiated end to the war uncertain.

Source Breitbrat