Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday that he had reached “understandings” with U.S. President Donald Trump during their Alaska summit last month, raising hopes of a potential breakthrough to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, where he also held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin suggested the talks with Trump had “opened the way to peace in Ukraine.” However, he stopped short of confirming whether Moscow would accept Trump’s push for direct negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he could resolve the conflict “in a single day,” reportedly set a Monday deadline for Putin’s response to a U.S.-brokered peace framework.

Reiterating long-held grievances, Putin argued the conflict was rooted in what he described as a Western-backed “coup” in Kyiv in 2014 and NATO’s attempts to integrate Ukraine into the alliance.

“This crisis wasn’t triggered by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West,” Putin said. He also accused NATO of seeking to expand eastward, calling it a key trigger for Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Putin thanked China and India—both major buyers of Russian crude—for their role in “facilitating the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis.” Their engagement has drawn sharp criticism from Western governments, who argue Beijing and New Delhi have helped sustain Russia’s war-battered economy.

Following the Alaska meeting, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff claimed Putin had signaled openness to providing security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a broader peace arrangement. Witkoff suggested the deal could include “Article 5-like language,” referring to NATO’s collective defense clause, though Moscow has yet to confirm.

Trump, who last month met with Zelensky and European leaders in Washington, stressed that Ukraine would not join NATO under any settlement but would receive robust assurances of protection. “We’ll give them good protection,” Trump said, clarifying that no U.S. troops would be deployed directly to Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron, however, cautioned that Putin’s silence might prove Trump had been misled. “If President Putin does not commit to talks by Monday, it will show that he has played President Trump,” Macron warned last week.

Despite talk of peace, the war has shown little sign of slowing. On Thursday, Russia launched its second-largest aerial assault of the conflict, firing 629 drones and missiles at Kyiv and other cities, killing at least 23 people. The attack sparked outrage in Europe, with Germany and France vowing to ramp up military support.

Ukraine’s Zelensky rejected reported proposals for a Russian buffer zone, insisting Moscow was using diplomacy as a stalling tactic. “Russia talks about peace while continuing to kill our people,” he said.

So far, no official confirmation of peace talks has emerged yet. Local sources reported intensified Russian offensives in Donetsk, with Ukrainian officials alleging Moscow is seeking battlefield gains before any negotiations.

Meanwhile, Zelensky told reporters on Sunday that he expects a draft framework for security guarantees from the U.S. and European allies this week, but warned that Russia’s ongoing strikes cast doubt on its sincerity.

Germany announced a fresh €1.2 billion air defense package for Ukraine on Saturday, while the U.S. signaled it may impose additional sanctions on Russian energy exports if Moscow resists negotiations.

Now in its fourth year, the war in Ukraine continues to exact a heavy civilian and economic toll. While Trump’s initiative—backed by China and India—offers a potential path forward, Putin’s vague assurances and Moscow’s battlefield escalation leave the prospect of peace highly uncertain. (ILKHA)