During the summit on Thursday, Putin expressed a willingness to consider former U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace proposal as a potential framework for negotiations aimed at resolving the prolonged conflict between Ukraine and Russia. He emphasized the need for serious dialogue, stating, “Every word matters,” as he concluded his three-day diplomatic visit to Kyrgyzstan.

Putin characterized Trump’s peace initiative as a collection of topics to be deliberated upon, rather than a formal agreement ready for signing. This perspective suggests a cautious but open approach to exploring diplomatic solutions to the ongoing hostilities.

In a press briefing after the CSTO summit held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Putin addressed Russian journalists, articulating his stance on the conflict. “If Ukrainian forces withdraw from the territories they currently hold, the fighting will stop. Otherwise, we will resort to achieving this through force,” he asserted, reiterating Russia’s firm position on the matter. This statement highlights the ongoing tensions and the complex dynamics at play in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to Russian journalists after the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025.  (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

“If Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they occupy, hostilities will cease. If they don’t withdraw, we will achieve this by force,” the Russian strongman said.

Andy Barr, R-Ky., a House Foreign Affairs Committee member, told Fox News Digital the situation reinforces the need for strong American leadership. “Russia invaded Ukraine because Joe Biden was the weakest president in American history.”

Barr, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Kentucky said, “President Trump’s peace-through-strength leadership kept Putin fully contained. This war never would have happened under his watch. Trump is the peace president… the only leader who can end this war and bring stability back to Europe.”

However, Putin critics believe he is seeking to trick the U.S. and the European Union.

The former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who predicted Putin’s jingoism and invasion of Ukraine, told the Polish international news network TVP that “Peace under Putin is unachievable for one simple reason: Putin is war — and Russia is gearing up for even more.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Moscow, Russia Aug. 6, 2025.  (Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters)

Kasparov has also criticized NATO, Trump and the EU for failing to defend Ukraine and evict Russia from Ukraine’s entire territory.

“We owe them everything,” Kasparov recently said about Ukraine at the Halifax International Security Forum.

Kremlin officials have had little to say so far about the peace plan put forward last week by Trump. Putin has been recalcitrant about accepting previous Trump plans to end the war.

Putin has demanded that Ukraine completely withdraw from the entirety of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions before Russia considers any sort of “peace negotiations” — notably including areas of each of those oblasts that Russia does not occupy. He also wants to keep Ukraine from joining NATO and hosting any Western troops, allowing Moscow to gradually pull the country back into its orbit.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, talk to the press as their consultations continue at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

The Institute for the Study of War on Wednesday cast doubt on Russian claims that its invasion is unstoppable as it is still struggling to capture cities in the eastern Donetsk region.

“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,” the Washington-based think tank said. “Recent Russian advances elsewhere on the front line have largely been opportunistic and exploited seasonal weather conditions.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week, the Kremlin says, while U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who in recent weeks has played a high-profile role in the peace efforts, may be heading to Kyiv.   

The initial U.S. peace proposal was criticized for being skewed toward Russian demands, but an amended version emerged from talks in Geneva on Sunday between American and Ukrainian officials. Sidelined European leaders, fearing for their own security amid Russian aggression, are angling for deeper involvement in the process.