Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of “forces” attempting to derail Ukraine peace talks currently being brokered by Washington and Moscow.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The Russian president has described his first contacts with the U.S. on the matter as “hopeful.” But on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a framework economic deal between Ukraine and the United States had been reached, though security guarantees remained unresolved.
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What to Know
Speaking at a Federal Security Service (FSB) board meeting on Thursday, Putin said that “Western elites” would try to disrupt dialogue between Russia and the U.S. as the two nations work toward peace talks.
Putin said the Kremlin understands that not everyone is pleased that Washington and Moscow have resumed bilateral talks.
Some Western elites are “determined to maintain instability in the world,” he said.
“And these forces will try to disrupt or compromise the dialogue that has begun,” Putin added, without offering evidence to support his claims.
Trump‘s approach has introduced uncertainty, especially regarding continued assistance and sanctions against Moscow.
Shortly after taking office for a second term, Trump spoke to Putin over the phone and agreed to kick-start talks to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
But Putin said on Monday that he has not discussed resolving the conflict in Ukraine in detail with Trump.
These comments came on the same day that Trump said he was hopeful that Russia’s war in Ukraine was nearing an endgame as he met with French President Emmanuel Macron on the third anniversary of the invasion. Trump said he believed Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential deal to end the war.
The president is meeting U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday.
On Wednesday, an agreement, which grants the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, was seen as the first step toward a broader agreement, with final terms hinging on discussions in Washington as early as Friday.
The deal stops short of providing explicit security commitments for Kyiv, which remains a key concern amid its ongoing war with Russia.
On February 12, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said Washington would neither support Ukraine’s NATO membership nor deploy peacekeeping troops on Ukrainian soil. He also said Ukraine would not regain its pre-2014 borders—when Putin launched his initial attack on the Crimean Peninsula.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told the BBC on February 19: “I think the Russians want to see the war end, I really do. But I think they have the cards a little bit, because they’ve taken a lot of territory. So they have the cards.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday: “We understand that not everyone is happy with the resumption of Russian-American contacts. Some Western elites are still determined to maintain instability in the world. And these forces will try to disrupt or compromise the dialogue that has begun. We see this.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday: “I wanted to have a sentence on security guarantees for Ukraine, and it’s important that it’s there…If we don’t get security guarantees, we won’t have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing.”
What Happens Next
Zelensky is expected to visit Washington on Friday, hoping to finalize key details of an agreement with Trump.
