In this pool photo distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the heads of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Council of State at the Yantimak Ordo (Palace of Unity) presidential residence in Bishkek on Nov. 27, 2025.
Alexander Kazakov | AFP | Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin has broken his silence on a US-backed peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying Moscow is ready for “serious” discussions about the draft proposals.
Putin said on Thursday that the outline of a draft peace plan reached by the US and Ukraine could be the basis of a deal that ends the nearly four-year-long conflict.
“In general, we agree that this can be the basis for future agreements,” Putin said in comments made during a trip to Kyrgyzstan and translated by Reuters.
The president added that the US appears to be “taking into account” Russia’s position on the peace settlement and that Moscow is ready for “serious discussions” when US special envoy Steve Witkoff travels to Moscow next week for talks.
In the past few days, the US Putin has publicly addressed the peace plan for the first time since a diplomatic standoff between and Ukraine. Those talks came after reports last week that the US-Russia had drawn up a 28-point peace plan, which appeared to heavily favor Russia’s demands.
Ukraine and its European allies scrambled to respond, revising and introducing plans Counter proposals were discussed in Geneva last weekend US delegation led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
All eyes are on Russia
The current draft plan, which has reportedly been whittled down to 19 key proposals, appears to have received tentative support from Ukraine, putting the ball back in Russia’s court to see if it can accept a framework to build on.
On Wednesday, Yuri Ushakov, a close Putin aide, claimed that Russia had not even seen the official version of the latest US-backed draft deal for Ukraine, but had seen an unofficial version.
Regarding the plan as he sees it, Ushakov said the Kremlin views some aspects of the plan positively while “some of its issues require serious analysis.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow welcomed US efforts on peace proposals but said there were “no concessions on key issues on the Ukraine settlement,” suggesting there may be some distance to travel before a deal can actually be reached.
On Thursday, Putin praised Russian progress in Ukraine and told reporters that fighting in Ukraine would stop once Ukrainian troops withdraw from their positions in key areas. If they do not, Russian forces will achieve their objectives by force, he added.
Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov warned on Wednesday against jumping to conclusions regarding the end of the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“Wait. It’s too early to say,” Peskov told reporters. State news agency TASS reportedWhen asked if this is the closest Russia and Ukraine have ever come to a peace agreement.
CNBC has reached out to the Kremlin for further comment and is awaiting a response.
Ukraine on board, temporary
Multiple outlets reported on Tuesday that a Ukrainian delegation that held talks with US officials in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday appeared to tentatively support the premise of a US-backed peace plan – although key details remained unresolved.
ABC News And CBS News Both an unnamed US official said the Ukrainians had “agreed” to the deal, while adding that there were still issues that needed to be ironed out. It was unclear whether both stories quoted the same US official.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Later on Tuesday, Kiev said it was ready to advance the peace process. Reuters reportedCiting a copy of the President’s speech to the Coalition of Allies.
US President Donald Trump “I think we’re getting very close to a deal. We’re going to find out … I think we’re making progress,” he said at the White House on Tuesday.
In A Truth social post “There are only a few points of disagreement left,” Trump said Tuesday afternoon.