Bishkek [Kyrgyzstan], November 28 : Nearly a week ahead of Ukraine peace plan talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the United States' plan to end the conflict could "form the basis for future agreements", CNN reported.
However, Putin warned that Russia would seize more territory by force unless Kyiv withdraws.
Putin was speaking to reporters in Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek on Thursday, where he confirmed, as per CNN, Kremlin was expecting a US delegation headed by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to visit Moscow next week.
The Russian President asserted that Kremlin was ready for a "serious discussion". However, he reiterated, the conflict can only end after Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they occupy.
"If they don't withdraw, we will achieve this through military means," CNN reported Putin as saying.
CNN further reported that Russia occupies approximately 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory, which is recognised as part of sovereign Ukraine under international law, including all of Luhansk region, and parts of the Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Russia's demands entail that Ukraine surrender these four regions entirely, "which it has annexed but not fully conquered". Moscow, as reported by CNN, has made gains along the eastern Ukrainian frontline in recent weeks, especially around the city of Pokrovsk.
According to CNN, the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor, said on Thursday that data on Russian forces' rate of advance indicates that "a Russian military victory in Ukraine is not inevitable, and a rapid Russian seizure of the rest of Donetsk Oblast is not imminent."
Notably, the Russian demand for the region includes the "fortress belt" of heavily defended towns and cities, which are considered to be crucial for Ukrainian security. Kyiv and its European allies have made it clear that territorial concessions are a red line for them, CNN reported.
With Putin's demands, a swift breakthrough seems difficult, and this strongly indicates that Russia isn't willing to move after US officials, including Donald Trump, touted "tremendous progress" in their efforts to end the war, CNN reported.
This development comes after opposition from Ukrainian and European officials to the US-drafted 28-point peace plan, which received strong input from Russia. CNN reported that the original plan included Russia's demand for Ukraine to reduce its army and be barred from joining NATO.
Putin said on Thursday that he was expecting Witkoff to arrive in Moscow early next week, presumably to discuss the new draft of the plan. CCN reported Putin as saying that he has been informed of the latest discussions and that the plan could "form the basis for future agreements."