Putin’s new ultimatum stokes WW3 fears | World | News
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has issued a stark warning to Ukraine, demanding that the war-torn nation withdraw its troops from the Donbas region in the east of the country, just days before a US delegation is set to arrive in Moscow for critical peace talks aimed at ending the brutal conflict.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Russian leader delivered his uncompromising ultimatum: “Ukrainian troops will withdraw from the territories they occupy, and then the fighting will cease.”
Putin menacingly added, “If they don’t withdraw, we’ll achieve this through military force,” as reported by the Kyiv Independent.
Russia’s illegal occupation of Ukrainian territories
Moscow has been illegally occupying the eastern Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia since September 2022, following sham referenda in the territories. The Donbas, also known as the “Donets Coal Basin,” is a heavily industrialized region comprising Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
US delegation faces pressure amid leaked call controversy
Putin confirmed that a US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to the Russian capital early next week.
However, Witkoff has come under fire after a leaked call reportedly caught him coaching a Russian official on how to win over President Trump with flattery during the peace talks.
On Thursday, Putin claimed that those responsible for leaking the call between Witkoff and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov could face criminal charges, while also suggesting that the leak could be a hoax.
He accused those targeting Witkoff of trying to sabotage the talks and wanting “to fight until the last Ukrainian,” just like Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Recognition of Russian rule a key point in US talks
Putin emphasized that recognition of Russian rule over Donbas and Crimea—a southern Ukrainian peninsula illegally occupied by Russia since 2014—is a crucial point in the upcoming US talks. He also ruled out signing any other documents with Ukraine, dismissing Zelensky’s government as illegitimate due to the postponement of elections amid the ongoing conflict.
Under Ukraine’s martial law, which was declared at the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, holding elections is strictly prohibited. Putin revealed that after the talks, the peace plan had been divided into four parts but did not provide further details. He added that the US peace plan still required further discussion.
Trump’s 28-point peace plan faces pushback
The latest developments come on the heels of President Trump’s unveiling of a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine last week, which included controversial conditions such as limiting the size of Ukraine’s military, a ban on NATO membership, and Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas. After facing strong opposition from the Ukrainian and European delegations, a revised version of the plan was compiled on Sunday in Switzerland.
As the world watches with bated breath, the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as the US delegation prepares to engage in high-stakes negotiations with the Russian regime, hoping to find a path to peace amid Putin’s unrelenting demands and the ever-present threat of military escalation.
