Putin Rejects Ukraine Truce Proposal, Vows to Continue Military Operations
Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed his country will continue its military operation to fully control four Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed. The statement came amid a new proposal from Ukraine to temporarily halt long-range strikes as part of efforts to de-escalate the war, which has lasted more than four years.
In an interview broadcast on Russian state television on Sunday (28/6/2026), Putin rejected the proposal, arguing that a cessation of strikes would only benefit Ukrainian forces currently facing significant pressure on the front lines.
Putin also stated that Russia would enhance its air defence capacity to counter increasingly intensive Ukrainian drone attacks, which have largely targeted Russian oil industry facilities. He noted that although the strikes had triggered fuel supply disruptions in several Russian regions, the government had managed to bring the situation under control.
During a meeting at the Kremlin with ministers and other government officials on Sunday, Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian drone attacks had caused fuel shortages in some areas of Russia. However, he insisted the situation was now under government control.
In the television interview, Putin revealed that Ukraine had proposed a mutual halt to long-range strikes as a step towards peace. However, Moscow viewed the proposal as an attempt to reduce pressure on Ukrainian troops along the approximately 1,250-kilometre front line and would not alter its military strategy.
"It is clear why this proposal was made, because our retaliatory strikes deep into Ukrainian territory are much stronger, have a greater impact and, frankly, are far more devastating," Putin said. He added that the severe personnel shortage experienced by the Ukrainian military was one of the reasons behind the proposal. "With a very severe shortage of personnel, the Armed Forces of Ukraine seem to think this could be their salvation. But saving the Kyiv regime is not part of our plans," he stated.
Putin insisted that Ukraine’s attacks aimed to divert Russia’s attention from the main objectives of its military operation. "The Ukrainian attacks aim to divert our attention and forces from achieving the main goal, namely the complete liberation of Donbas and Novorossiya," Putin said, referring to the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions bordering Donbas. He has long insisted that Ukraine must abandon all remaining military positions in the Donetsk region as a key condition for any peace agreement.
Seven months after launching the invasion in 2022, Russia unilaterally annexed four Ukrainian regions: Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. However, Russia currently controls only parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Responding to Ukraine’s escalating campaign of medium- and long-range drone strikes, Putin said Russia must urgently strengthen its air defence capabilities. "The first task is to quickly and significantly increase the production of the most needed air defence systems," he said. He also asserted that attacks on Russian infrastructure had not altered the situation on the battlefield.
Putin also said Russia expected US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war to resume. He anticipated that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would visit Moscow again once the most heated phase of the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran concluded.
Putin appeared to align with remarks made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the previous week, stating that no formal agreement was signed during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska last year, although several proposals from Washington were discussed. "No one signed anything, but we discussed a number of possibilities for ending the conflict in Ukraine," Putin said. According to him, the United States had requested several compromises that were subsequently outlined in proposals submitted by Washington during the talks.