Russia sought to deal with the causes of the conflict through diplomacy, Putin said. However, if Ukraine refuses to engage in dialogue, the goals outlined by the Russian side will be achieved militarily, he stressed.
If the Ukrainian side refuses to talk on the merits, Russia will ensure the achievement of its goals by military means, President Vladimir Putin said at an expanded meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defense.
“We preferred to do this and eliminate the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy. If the opposing side, their foreign patrons, essentially refuse to talk, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means,” he said.
Among the priority issues, Putin outlined the creation and expansion of a buffer zone of security. According to him, the Russian army will solve this task consistently.
For the first time, Vladimir Putin announced his intention to create a “sanitary zone” on the border in June 2023. In May 2024, the president announced his intention to create a “sanitary zone” in the Kharkiv region. According to him, it is necessary to protect Russia’s border regions from shelling.
In March 2025, Putin, visiting a command post in the Kursk region, suggested considering the creation of a “security zone” along the Russian border. At the end of May 2025, the president announced that the Russian military was working to create a “necessary buffer zone” to protect the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions.
Direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations resumed in May 2025 after a three-year hiatus. At the moment, three rounds of negotiations have been held: on May 16, June 2 and July 23. The parties are currently discussing settlement options based on the peace plan proposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
The first version of the American plan had 28 points. According to Western journalists, the document provided, among other things, for limiting the size of the Armed Forces and territorial concessions from Ukraine. After that, representatives of Kiev and Washington held a number of meetings and reported that the plan had been shortened.
Putin admitted that the provisions proposed by the American side could form the basis of a settlement. At the same time, he noted that Russia is capable of achieving its goals by armed means, but it is also ready for peaceful negotiations.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky believes that there will be no simple solutions to end the conflict. The most sensitive points in the peaceful settlement, according to Zelensky, are the issues of territories and Russian assets.
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