Moscow, December 4, 2025 – In a wide-ranging interview aired today on India Today TV, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered rare praise for U.S. diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the protracted Ukraine conflict, describing a recent five-hour meeting with American negotiators as "necessary and beneficial." The discussion, conducted just ahead of Putin's state visit to India on December 4–5, comes amid intensified shuttle diplomacy by the Trump administration, which has sought to broker a peace deal since August. Putin's comments underscore a tentative thaw in U.S.-Russia relations but also highlight deep-seated disagreements that continue to stall progress.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
The interview, filmed in the Kremlin's historic Ekaterina Hall and conducted by India Today journalists Anjana Om Kashyap and Geeta Mohan, delved into the Ukrainian crisis, bilateral ties with India, Western sanctions, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Putin, speaking candidly, credited the U.S. proposals under President Donald Trump with building on prior agreements, yet emphasized the challenges of forging consensus. "This meeting was necessary. It was very useful," Putin stated, referring to the December 2 Kremlin session with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. He noted that the talks, which stretched nearly five hours, allowed for a point-by-point dissection of Trump's peace framework, originally outlined as a 28-point plan during the August 2025 Russia-U.S. summit in Anchorage, Alaska.
That Alaska summit, held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, marked the first in-person encounter between Trump and Putin since 2019, amid Trump's campaign pledge to end the war "in 24 hours." Flanked by aides including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff on the U.S. side, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and policy aide Yury Ushakov for Russia, the leaders discussed economic cooperation and Ukraine's future. No ceasefire emerged, but the meeting laid groundwork for subsequent negotiations, including potential business deals like ExxonMobil-Rosneft partnerships in Russia's Sakhalin-1 oil field. Putin reiterated that the recent Moscow proposals "were based, one way or another, on the agreements we reached during my meeting with President Trump in Alaska; we discussed these issues at the Anchorage meeting."
At the heart of the current impasse is Trump's evolving peace blueprint, which began as a comprehensive 28-point memorandum but has been revised to 19 points following consultations with Ukrainian officials. The original draft demanded significant concessions from Kyiv: recognition of Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk as de facto Russian territory (despite Ukraine controlling parts of the latter); a constitutional ban on NATO membership; caps on Ukraine's military size; and equal sharing of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant output. It also envisioned a "Peace Council" chaired by Trump to enforce compliance, with U.S.-imposed sanctions for violations. Critics, including European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, decried it as overly favorable to Moscow, echoing Russian demands since the 2022 invasion.
Putin acknowledged partial alignment but stressed divisions. "Trump is seeking a consensus on Ukraine, but this is a difficult task," he said, adding that Russia agreed with some elements while rejecting others in a process he termed "complex work." On the plan's structure, Putin clarified that the U.S. side had reorganized the original 28 points—later adjusted to 27—into four thematic packages for phased discussion: territorial integrity, security guarantees, economic reconstruction, and demilitarization. "Simply, they split these 28, I think 27 points, into four packages. And they proposed that we discuss these four packages. But fundamentally, these are the same points," he explained. Kremlin aide Ushakov echoed this post-meeting, calling the talks "useful, constructive, and meaningful" but noting no compromises on core issues like Donbas control.
The December 2 Moscow meeting itself was a high-stakes affair, with Witkoff and Kushner—latter without an official role but influential in Trump's inner circle—arriving after a symbolic stroll through Red Square. Flanked by Russian envoys Kirill Dmitriev and Ushakov, the Americans presented four documents, including the repackaged plan. No breakthroughs were announced, but Trump, briefed shortly after, struck an optimistic tone during a White House event on December 3. "It was a very good meeting... Steve and Jared think that [Putin] wants to end it," Trump said, lamenting the war's origins under his predecessor. He added that the U.S. is no longer "spending money on Ukraine" as it did under Biden, framing the push as a bid to halt needless bloodshed—citing 27,000 monthly soldier deaths.
European reactions have been mixed, with the continent viewing the plan as a potential threat to Ukraine's sovereignty. France, Germany, and the UK swiftly countered with their own 28-point revision, softening territorial demands (e.g., negotiating swaps instead of outright cessions) and raising military caps. A separate 24-point European draft emphasizes NATO-style guarantees without U.S. boots on the ground, potentially involving non-NATO actors like India or Turkey for peacekeeping. Putin, addressing the EU directly in the interview, urged involvement over obstruction: "Europeans should engage in the settlement process rather than hinder it." He accused Brussels of double standards, pointing to ongoing U.S. purchases of Russian uranium despite oil sanctions on allies like India.
Reflecting on the conflict's roots, Putin revisited Moscow's pre-2022 overtures. At the invasion's outset, Russia proposed Kyiv withdraw forces from Donbas to avert escalation, citing a referendum where locals voted for independence—a claim Kyiv and the West dismiss as illegitimate. "We immediately told Ukraine, to Ukrainian troops—people do not want to live with you; they went to vote in a referendum, voted for independence, withdraw your troops and there will be no military action. No, they prefer to fight. Well, now they've fought themselves into a corner," Putin remarked. This narrative aligns with Russia's portrayal of the war as a defensive response to NATO expansion and Ukrainian aggression, though international probes, including the ICC's arrest warrant for Putin over child deportations, frame it as unprovoked imperialism.
On resolution, Putin's tone was resolute: "Russia will liberate Donbass and Novorossiya either by military means or otherwise." He clarified, "Everything comes down to this. Either we will liberate these territories by military means, or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories and stop fighting there." "Novorossiya," a historical term for southern Ukraine including Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, underscores Moscow's maximalist goals, controlling 88% of Donbas and 74% of those oblasts as of August. Zelenskyy, briefed via phone post-Moscow, reiterated Kyiv's red lines: no territorial losses beyond current lines and ironclad security pacts. He plans a December 4 meeting in Miami with Witkoff and Kushner, alongside national security adviser Rustem Umerov, to refine the 19-point iteration.
Broader context reveals a war-weary Europe and a shifting U.S. posture. Since February 2022, over 500,000 casualties have mounted, with Russia's economy strained by sanctions yet buoyed by ties to China and India. Trump's approach—blending deal-making with pressure—has irked allies; Zelenskyy warned in November of a "difficult choice" between dignity and alliance. Yet, as Putin prepares to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bilateral trade—up 10.4% in tourist inflows despite global isolation—signals Russia's pivot eastward.
Analysts see glimmers of hope in the "shuttle diplomacy" format, with Witkoff's sixth Putin meeting signaling persistence. However, without Ukrainian buy-in or European backing, the path remains fraught. As Trump noted Wednesday, "It takes two to tango"—but in Ukraine's case, it may require three, with Brussels as the wary third partner.
The full India Today interview airs at 3:30 p.m. IST today, potentially offering more clues to Moscow's bottom line.
