Putin is playing on two fronts. He threatens Ukraine with “military measures” and sells a vision of peace to Europe
On Thursday, November 27, the Russian president stated that Russia would stop its offensive against Ukraine only if Kiev withdraws troops from the areas that Moscow considers its own.
Putin announced otherwise Russian troops will take these areas by force.
However, this was not the only declaration made that day. In the background, there were also threads that may be important not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole of Europe.
— If Ukrainian troops leave the territories they occupy, we will suspend combat operations. If not, we will achieve it by military means, Putin said during his visit to Bishkek.
Russia announced the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye oblasts based on illegal “referendums” held in late 2022 — votes that Kiev and Western countries do not recognize.
Today, Moscow controls almost the entire Luhansk Oblast and all of Crimea, but only partially controls the other three oblasts. In total, it constitutes about one fifth of Ukraine's territory.
Putin also repeated the claim that Russian troops have encircled Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad in the eastern part of the Donetsk region — one of the most fierce sections of the front.
— Krasnoarmeysk [czyli Pokrowsk] and Dimytrov [czyli Myrnohrad] are completely surrounded,” he said, using the Soviet and Russian names for these cities.
A bombed street in the Ukrainian city of Myrnohrad on the front line in Pokrovsk, June 11, 2025.Maria Senovilla / PAP
He added that Russian troops are also advancing in Volchansk in the Kharkiv Oblast and in the Sieversk area in the Donetsk Oblast. He also stated that his troops were heading towards a key logistics hub in Hulaypol in the Zaporizhia Oblast.
According to Putin, the Russian offensive is “virtually impossible to stop,” so “there is little that can be done about it.”
Ukraine has denied reports of the encirclement of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, claiming that its troops still maintain positions in the area.
American plan, Russian roots
Putin also argued that Russia is ready to consider the so-called The 28-point US peace plan as a potential foundation for future talks with Kiev and Washington.
This plan, supported by the United States and largely reflecting the Kremlin's official goals in the ongoing war, according to leaked recordings, had its source in Russia. Moreover, everything indicates that its original assumptions were created in circles close to Moscow. Later, the document was modified and submitted to the Russian side after consultations and talks between Kiev and Washington.
Putin, however, stressed that for now there is no question of ready-made draft contracts — there is only a set of topics and problems that are still being discussed. As he argued, the plan itself had been in circulation long before the Alaska summit.
— As I have already said publicly, it was communicated to us through various channels. We got acquainted with him. Later [23 listopada] Negotiations took place in Geneva between the American and Ukrainian delegations, he said.
He added that – as he understood it – the parties had agreed to divide the 28 points into four separate parts.
He confirmed that Russia has already received a modified version of the plan and “generally” agrees that it could serve as a basis for negotiations.
— We generally agree that this can be the foundation for future agreements, he said.
At the same time, he emphasized that talking about “final solutions” today would be premature, because no final, agreed text has yet been created.
He also added that Washington seems to take into account Russia's position – both the one presented before Anchorage and after the meetings in Alaska. According to him, both sides will finally have to “sit down and talk seriously about specifics” and “put everything in the language of diplomacy.”
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Promises from the Kremlin
Putin also assured that Russia is ready to formally commit not to attack European countries.
— It's one thing to generally assure that Russia has no intention of attacking Europe. To us it sounds a bit absurd, because We never had such plans. However, if someone wants to hear it directly and in writing, there is no problem, he said.
It is worth recalling that in 1994, Russia pledged not to attack Ukraine under the Budapest Memorandum, in exchange for Kiev giving up the Soviet nuclear arsenal.
Putin rejected the thesis that Russia poses a threat to Europe, saying that people who say so are “slightly out of their minds” and act in the interests of the arms industry, private companies or try to raise their political ratings in the face of economic problems.
“We do not intend to attack Europe and we do not have any aggressive plans towards it,” he said.
He added that such guarantees “maybe make sense” if their goal was to start a broader discussion about a “pan-European security system.”
