Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed on Thursday that Moscow will not back down from its military objectives in Ukraine, even as fresh disputes erupted over battlefield claims and Washington’s emerging peace proposal added new diplomatic pressure.
During a visit to a Russian military command center overseeing operations in Ukraine, Putin declared that Russian forces had encircled 15 Ukrainian battalions near the strategic city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. He added that Ukrainian soldiers should be given the chance "to lay down their arms and surrender."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later said Putin had received a report confirming “full control” of Kupiansk by Russian troops.
Ukraine swiftly denied the assertion, insisting that Russian forces had not captured the city. Ukrainian military officials also rejected reports that Russia had seized 70% of Pokrovsk, another critical front in the Donetsk region, calling the claims “inaccurate and misleading.”
The conflicting narratives underscore the fluidity of the front lines as both sides seek to project momentum while the war, now approaching its fourth year, grinds on.
The battlefield dispute comes shortly after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump drafted a 28-point peace proposal aimed at halting the war, a plan that has already stirred controversy in Kyiv, Moscow, and across Western capitals.
According to U.S. officials quoted by The Wall Street Journal, the plan urges Ukraine to hand over the entire Donbas region to Russia, including territories still held by Ukrainian forces. It also calls for Kyiv to pause its NATO membership ambitions for several years and would prohibit any international peacekeeping deployment on Ukrainian soil.
In return, Ukraine would receive security guarantees from the United States, while Russia would commit, through legally binding legislation, to renounce further military aggression in Ukraine or anywhere in Europe.
The plan mirrors the U.S. approach used in recent ceasefire negotiations in Gaza: formulate a detailed proposal, present it to both sides, and apply pressure until an agreement is reached.
For Trump, the inability to rapidly broker peace despite longstanding personal claims of influence over both sides has become a source of public irritation.
On Wednesday, he again voiced disappointment that his rapport with Putin had not yet translated into a swift settlement. “I’m a little frustrated with President Putin, and he knows that,” Trump said, referencing his earlier campaign promise to end the war “within 24 hours” upon returning to the White House.
Despite the contentious elements of the proposal, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier Thursday that Kyiv is prepared to work with Washington on the plan’s principles, provided the outcome is “a just end to the war.”
Ukrainian officials reiterated that Kyiv supports “all substantive proposals capable of delivering real peace,” but stressed that national sovereignty and territorial integrity remain non-negotiable.
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