Progress towards settling the three-and-a-half-year war appears to have stalled despite a flurry of diplomatic efforts from US President Donald Trump, who met both his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts last month.
Putin said he thought there was "light at the end of the tunnel", but promised to continue fighting and claimed his troops were "advancing on all fronts".
"Let's see how the situation develops. If not, then we will have to resolve all our tasks militarily," Putin told reporters in Beijing when asked about the prospects for a deal.
The Kremlin chief, who again ruled out an immediate meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, went on a long tirade questioning the Ukrainian leader's legitimacy.
Putin said he had invited Zelensky to come to Moscow if he wanted a meeting.
"Donald (Trump) asked me for such a meeting, I said: 'Yes, it's possible, let Zelensky come to Moscow'," Putin said.
A source told AFP in August that Zelensky had rejected an initiative to hold talks in Moscow.
Putin said Russia was ready to send a more high-level delegation to peace talks with Ukraine, though declined to say who that would be.
"If it will be necessary to raise the level of delegations, we are ready for it," the Russian leader said.
Moscow launched more than 500 drones on Ukraine early on Wednesday, and nine civilians were killed later in a shelling on a frontline town in eastern Ukraine.
Not for Russia to 'decide' if West can deploy troops to Ukraine: NATO chief
Prague (AFP) Sept 4, 2025 - NATO chief Mark Rutte said Thursday that Russia did not have a veto on whether Western powers can deploy troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees if a truce is reached.
"Why are we interested in what Russia thinks about troops in Ukraine? It's a sovereign country. It's not for them to decide," Rutte said.
"Russia has nothing to do with this."
Leaders from a so-called coalition of the willing spearheaded by France and Britain are holding talks Thursday to firm up contributions to the planned security guarantees.
"If Ukraine wants to have security guarantee forces in Ukraine to support a peace deal, it's up to them. Nobody else can decide about it," Rutte said on a visit to Prague.
"I think we really have to stop making Putin too powerful," he added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has said it remains firmly opposed to any Western troops being deployed in Ukraine as part of a possible peace settlement.
Western diplomats say that the group of roughly 30 countries discussing a possible "reassurance force" for Ukraine now have concrete numbers of the troops they could commit.
European nations hope that by putting a clear plan on the table they can convince US President Donald Trump to make good on a promise to offer American military backing.
Trump has been pushing to end the war, but the Kremlin has been stalling efforts to organise direct talks between Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
NATO chief expects 'clarity' soon on Europe's contribution to Ukraine guarantees
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Sept 3, 2025 -
NATO chief Mark Rutte said Wednesday that he expected talks between European leaders in Paris to firm up plans on security guarantees for Ukraine, and pave the way to get a clearer picture on US involvement.
"Tomorrow will be an important meeting, so I expect tomorrow, or soon after tomorrow, to have clarity on what collectively we can deliver," Rutte told journalists.
"That means that we can engage even more intensely, also with the American side to see what they want to deliver in terms of their participation."
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the talks in Paris on Thursday with leaders from a so-called coalition of the willing.
Spearheaded by France and Britain, the group of around 30 countries intends to provide support to Kyiv's military and possibly deploy some of its own soldiers to Ukraine if and when a ceasefire is agreed.
The deployment would aim to deter future Russian aggression.
US President Donald Trump, who has been pushing efforts to end the war, has said Washington could play a role supporting the Europeans.
But he has ruled out any American troops on the ground, and what exact commitments he would be willing to give remain vague.
Diplomats told AFP that European countries in the coalition were pushed to come up with concrete details on what they could contribute at a meeting of military chiefs last week.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office said Tuesday that there were now "enough contributions to be able to say to the Americans that we are ready to take our responsibilities as long as they take on theirs -- meaning giving European partners a 'backstop'."
That backstop could involve different aspects including intelligence, logistic support and communications.
Trump has been trying, so far in vain, to organise a summit between President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky, after having rolled out the red carpet for the Russian leader in Alaska last month.
On Tuesday, Trump said he was "very disappointed" with Putin for failing to move towards a peace deal on Ukraine.
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