Putin says Trump's plan could be basis for peace deal
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Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videoconference. Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/pool via Getty
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he believes President Trump's 28-point peace plan could serve as the basis for a peace deal, while stressing that in-depth negotiations are still needed.
Split screen: Shortly before Putin's remarks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address to the Ukrainian people that he was under immense pressure to sign a deal within days that he fears would sacrifice Ukraine's "dignity." Putin doesn't appear to face a similar time crunch, or the same degree of pressure.
What he's saying: Putin said in a televised meeting with his security council that Russia had received the 28-point plan and was ready to hold peace negotiations once its elements had been discussed in detail.
- He claimed Russia had previously only been aware of the general outlines of the plan. In fact, his envoy Kirill Dmitriev held extensive consultations with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff toward the end of last month, as Axios previously reported.
- Putin said elements of the current U.S. plan had been discussed prior to his summit with Trump in Alaska, and that during those talks "the American side asked us to make certain compromises and show flexibility."
Between the lines: Putin's statement is not a significant shift in his public position. He has previously said he's prepared for peace talks, but only after detailed understandings are reached on many areas of concern for Russia.
- He's saying much the same now, while accepting Trump's plan as the basis for those discussions.
- Trump's plan effectively recognizes his territorial demands, giving Russia more land than it currently controls in eastern Ukraine. It includes several other Russia-friendly provisions, such as the removal of sanctions, a return to the G8 club of world powers, and a ban on NATO troops inside Ukraine.
- The most difficult piece for Russia to accept may be a separate document, which says the U.S. and its NATO allies would view a future Russian attack on Ukraine as an attack on the entire "transatlantic community" and respond accordingly.
State of play: Trump wants a signature from Zelensky by Thanksgiving. He has not made a similar demand from Putin, so it's unclear if Russia would be able to bank the Ukrainian concessions and then make additional demands in future talks.
- Ukraine's European backers are rallying around and working on counter-proposals that are more friendly to Ukraine — though most have stopped short of rejecting Trump's plan outright.
- Zelensky has said he's willing to negotiate with Trump's team over the plan. But he also told the Ukrainian people that "Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice: the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner."
