Putin Could Talk Peace After Full Liberation Of Kursk

A day after the United States arm-twisted Ukraine into agreeing to peace talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to respond while his forces continue efforts to seize the Kursk region from Ukrainian control.

Indications suggest that Russia may engage in peace talks after limiting Kyiv's options to negotiate land-for-land.

Currently, Russia controls the Crimean Peninsula, Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, and has signaled that the "liberated" areas of Ukraine are not open for negotiation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin may consider peace talks after completing the operation to capture the Kursk region, while U.S. President Donald Trump waits for a response on a proposed 30-day truce.

On Wednesday, Putin visited a command post in Kursk, marking his first appearance in military uniform since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began and his first visit to the Kursk Region during the conflict. He discussed the military operation, a security zone, and received updates on reported territorial gains.

Russian state media reported that the Russian military’s North group has entered the final stage of securing the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that 86% of the area is now under Russian control, with over 67,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 7,000 pieces of equipment lost.

Putin has also urged military leaders to "route nationalists" from the border area quickly. He also called for the captured nationalists to be treated as terrorists but with humane measures. Foreign mercenaries, however, would not receive protections under the Geneva Convention.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would accept the ceasefire as a step toward broader negotiations.

According to reports, Russia’s demands include a ban on Ukraine joining NATO, no foreign troop deployments, and the recognition of Russian claims over occupied regions. These demands, which have remained largely unchanged since the invasion began in February 2022, also call for limits on U.S. and NATO military activities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Discussions on these conditions occurred before the invasion during U.S.-Russia meetings in 2021 and 2022. A draft agreement from Istanbul in 2022, which included similar terms, is reportedly being revisited by Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv as a potential framework for new negotiations.

The Trump administration has not detailed its approach to these negotiations, which involve two tracks—one focused on U.S.-Russia relations and the other on resolving the Ukraine conflict.