Putin Demands Ukraine's Withdrawal from Disputed Territories or Faces Continued Russian Military Action

Kyrgyzstan:

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Thursday that Russia would cease its military operations in Ukraine if Kyiv withdrew from territories Moscow claims as its own, otherwise Russian forces would seize these areas through military action.

The Russian military has been advancing slowly but consistently through eastern Ukraine, engaging in costly battles against Ukrainian forces that are both outnumbered and outgunned.

Meanwhile, Washington has renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict that has persisted for nearly four years, proposing a surprising plan that it hopes to finalize through upcoming negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv.

"If Ukrainian forces leave the territories they hold, then we will stop combat operations," Putin stated during his visit to Kyrgyzstan. "If they don't, then we will achieve it by military means."

Russia currently controls approximately one-fifth of Ukraine's territory. The matter of occupied land, which Kyiv has firmly stated it will never surrender, has emerged as the primary obstacle in peace negotiations.

Putin reiterated claims that Russian forces have surrounded the Ukrainian army in Pokrovsk and Myrnograd in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region—an area experiencing the most intense fighting and a key objective for Moscow's forces.

"Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov are completely surrounded," he stated, using the Russian names for these cities.

He added that Moscow was also making advances in Vovchansk and Siversk, while approaching the strategically important logistics hub of Guliaipole.

Putin asserted that the Russian offensive "is practically impossible to hold back, so there is little that can be done about it."

Ukraine has denied claims that Pokrovsk and Myrnograd are encircled, insisting that its forces continue to resist enemy advances along the front line.

Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the worst armed conflict in Europe since World War II.

The war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties and forced millions to flee their homes.