Putin says he is ready to guarantee in writing no Russian attack on Europe

President Vladimir Putin has said helium is acceptable to warrant successful penning that Russia volition not onslaught different European nation, arsenic helium dismissed claims that Moscow intends to invade different state arsenic a “lie” and “complete nonsense”.

Speaking connected Thursday successful Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek – wherever helium attended a acme of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a Russia-led subject confederation that includes immoderate erstwhile Soviet republics – Putin branded claims Moscow is readying to onslaught Europe arsenic “ridiculous”.

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“The information is, we ne'er intended to bash that. But if they privation to perceive it from us, well, past we’ll papers it. No question,” the Russian president told reporters.

Putin’s denials that Moscow is readying different penetration person been met with scepticism from European leaders, who constituent to the information that helium repeatedly denied Russia would invade Ukraine earlier doing truthful successful February 2022.

Responding to questions astir efforts to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine, Putin expressed optimism astir a draught United States-backed bid plan, saying it could service arsenic the “basis for aboriginal agreements”.

While Putin said Russia is acceptable for a “serious” treatment to extremity the war, helium besides warned that Moscow was prepared to combat connected if indispensable and instrumentality implicit much of Ukraine.

A basal prerequisite to extremity the fighting, helium reiterated, was that Ukrainian troops retreat from Donetsk and Luhansk successful eastbound Ukraine’s Donbas region, including leaving areas that Russian troops bash not presently control.

“Ukrainian troops indispensable retreat from the territories they presently clasp – past the warring volition stop. If they bash not propulsion back, we volition execute this by subject means,” helium said.

Ukraine has said that specified a withdrawal would permission the mode unfastened for a Russian battle connected its capital, Kyiv.

‘The president has mislaid his morganatic status’

Putin besides suggested that helium was unfastened to a negotiated colony with Kyiv, but erstwhile again branded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s authorities illegitimate, adding that it was “legally impossible” to motion immoderate agreements with them.

“Broadly speaking, of course, we yet privation to scope an statement with Ukraine. But close now, this is practically impossible,” Putin said, repeating erstwhile unfounded claims that Kyiv had mislaid the close to govern aft failing to clasp elections erstwhile Zelenskyy’s statesmanlike word expired successful May 2024.

“The Ukrainian enactment made a cardinal strategical mistake erstwhile it feared statesmanlike elections, due to the fact that since then, the president has mislaid his morganatic status,” Putin added.

Kyiv has maintained it could not clasp elections portion nether martial instrumentality and defending its territory against Russian attacks. In February, lawmakers successful Ukraine’s parliament overwhelmingly approved a solution affirming Zelenskyy’s legitimacy to enactment successful office.

Putin besides claimed that, owed to the Zelenskyy government’s purported illegitimacy, immoderate bid woody indispensable beryllium recognised by the planetary community, and that the planetary assemblage indispensable besides recognise Russian gains successful Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president’s main of staff, Andriy Yermak, reiterated connected Thursday that Zelenskyy “will not motion distant territory”.

“As agelong arsenic Zelenskyy is president, nary 1 should number connected america giving up territory,” Yermak told US mag The Atlantic.

Last week, the US revealed a 28-point bid plan for Ukraine that was wide viewed arsenic highly favourable to Russia. It called for Kyiv to marque large concessions, including ceding territory and abandoning its NATO ambitions.

The program has since been altered with Ukrainian input, Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya said, nixing a 600,000-member headdress connected Ukraine’s service and a wide warfare crimes amnesty.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian delegations are acceptable to conscionable with Washington officials to enactment retired a look discussed astatine erstwhile talks successful Geneva to bring bid and supply information guarantees for Kyiv.

He added, without providing details, that determination would beryllium further talks adjacent week.

US representatives, including Trump’s peculiar envoy, Steve Witkoff, are besides acceptable to question to Moscow adjacent week to proceed discussions connected cardinal issues, including information guarantees for Ukraine and Europe.

Putin said his delegation intends to rise its ain “key issue” with the US delegation, specifically a transition successful the bid program stating that Washington lone intends to recognise Russia’s de facto power implicit Crimea and different Ukrainian territory, which Moscow claims arsenic its own.

“That is precisely what our talks with the American broadside volition beryllium about,” Putin said.