Vladimir Putin has again insisted that Europe has nothing to fear, saying Russia has no intention of launching attacks in the future.
The Russian president dismissed such claims as “outright lies and nonsense” while publicly acknowledging the US-brokered peace plan for Ukraine for the first time. He said Russia is now ready for “serious” talks and confirmed that a US delegation will visit Moscow next week. “There was a line of questions put forward for discussion,” he said, adding that there are no “final versions”.
Putin made the remarks during a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation’s security council in Kyrgyzstan, where he addressed member states including Belarus. He used the occasion to claim that Russian forces had fully encircled Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad in the Donetsk region.
He also commented on one of Volodymyr Zelensky’s stated red lines for ending the war, the surrender of currently occupied Ukrainian territories. Warning that Russian troops are advancing quickly, Putin said, “If Ukrainian soldiers leave the occupied territories, then we will cease hostilities. If they do not leave , we will achieve it by military means.”
Taking one of the final questions at the security council meeting, Putin asserted that signing documents with Ukraine’s current leadership is “pointless”.
The comments came shortly after France announced that a limited form of military service will be introduced next year, twenty-five years after the country ended conscription. President Emmanuel Macron said the measure is a response to rising fears of a conflict with Russia, stating, “The only way to avoid danger is to prepare for it.”