Putin open to Ukraine peace deal, but demands Kyiv compromise

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is prepared to reach a peaceful settlement with Ukraine, while insisting that Kyiv must make compromises and accept the realities on the battlefield. Speaking on Thursday, Putin said Russia was “ready to make a deal with Ukraine peacefully” and claimed Moscow remained open to negotiations. He argued that Ukraine was continuing to lose territory and suggested that any future agreement would require concessions from Kyiv. "Ukraine also needs to compromise," Putin said. Putin claimed that more than 85% of the Donetsk region is now under Russian control and said Russian forces had recently captured around 2,440 square kilometres of territory in Ukraine. He also described Ukraine’s manpower situation as a “catastrophic lack of personnel”, arguing that Kyiv’s military was facing growing difficulties on the front line.Also read: Putin says India-US ties won’t affect Russia ties, praises economic growth The Russian leader maintained that Moscow had the resources needed to achieve its military objectives and said Russia was becoming stronger despite more than four years of war. Referring to recent contacts with the United States, Putin said President Donald Trump had asked Russia to consider certain compromises and added that Moscow was prepared to do so. Putin’s comments came as the conflict continued to escalate far from the battlefield. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian long-range drones had struck an oil terminal in St Petersburg, triggering a major fire in the city where Putin was born. The attack, which reportedly travelled more than 1,000 kilometres, disrupted airport operations and prompted authorities to restrict mobile internet services. The strike followed a large-scale Russian missile and drone assault on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities that killed at least 23 civilians and injured more than 150 people. Both sides have increasingly relied on long-range drone attacks as front-line positions remain largely static. Despite Putin’s renewed talk of a peaceful settlement, there has been little sign of a breakthrough in efforts to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.