Putin suggests putting Ukraine under UN-sponsored external governance

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed Friday to temporarily put Ukraine under external governance as part of efforts to reach a peaceful settlement, in remarks that reflected the Kremlin leader's determination to achieve his war goals.

In televised remarks broadcast early Friday, Putin reaffirmed his claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal. Under Ukraine’s constitution it is illegal for the country to hold national elections while it's under martial law.

Putin claimed that any agreement that is signed with the current Ukrainian government could be challenged by its successors and said new elections could be held under external governance.

“Under the auspices of the United Nations, with the United States, even with European countries, and, of course, with our partners and friends, we could discuss the possibility of introduction of temporary governance in Ukraine,” Putin said. He added that it would allow the country to “hold democratic elections, to bring to power a viable government that enjoys the trust of the people, and then begin negotiations with them on a peace treaty.”

He said such external governance is just “one of the options,” without elaborating.

Zelenskyy dismissed Putin's suggestions, describing them as a “reason not to end the war.”

“He is afraid of negotiations with Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy during a briefing with journalists Friday. “He is afraid of negotiations with me personally, and by excluding Ukraine's (government), he is suggesting that Ukraine is not an independent actor for him.”

‘They’re playing for time’

Putin's remarks came hours after the conclusion of a summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron that considered plans to deploy troops to Ukraine to cement an eventual peace deal. Macron said “several” other nations want to be part of the force alongside France and Britain.

Russia has warned it wouldn’t accept any troops from NATO members as part of a prospective peacekeeping force.

Macron and other participants of the Paris summit on Thursday accused Russia of only pretending to want a negotiated settlement.

“They are playing games and they’re playing for time,” said U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Zelenskyy hailed the outcome of the meeting, saying in Friday’s statement that “Europe definitely knows how to defend itself, and we are working together to ensure greater security for our country and all European nations.”

Drone attacks continue

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a tentative U.S-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure but both sides have different views on when the deal to halt strikes came into effect. They have accused each other of violations, underscoring the challenges to negotiating a broader peace.

Zelenskyy said in the Friday briefing that it's also unclear how the ceasefire should be monitored.

“Who verifies it? Who is monitoring?” he said, adding that the American side said that it would hold consultations with its own team and other countries regarding their readiness to conduct monitoring.

“I don’t know the results of these conversations ... we have told them that it will not work without monitoring.”

Russia launched 163 drones at Ukraine late Thursday, according to the Ukrainian air force, which said that 89 of them were downed and 51 more jammed.

The drones damaged multiple residential buildings and injured a 19-year-old in Zaporizhzhia, regional head Ivan Fedorov said. Damage to buildings and infrastructure facilities was also reported by authorities in another five regions.

Ukraine’s state-run gas company, Naftogaz, said Friday that its facilities came under Russian fire.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces struck a gas metering station in Sudzha in the Kursk region with U.S.-made HIMARS rockets, completely destroying the facility. It said another Ukrainian strike on an energy facility in Russia’s Bryansk region led to a power cutoff, and added that air defenses downed 19 Ukrainian drones that attempted to strike an oil refinery in Saratov.

The ministry said the strikes show that Kyiv’s pledge of adherence to a halt on strikes on energy facilities was just “another ruse by Zelenskyy to prevent the collapse of Ukrainian defenses and to restore military potential with the help of European allies.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters that Russia will continue sticking to the halt on strikes on energy facilities but reserves the right to opt out of the deal if violations continue.

Ukraine’s military rejected Russia’s claims of Ukrainian strikes on energy facilities as fake, aimed at “discrediting Ukraine” and its diplomatic efforts.

The General Staff said that its army is “strictly adhering to the agreements,” emphasizing that the military only has struck Russia’s military targets.

It also accused Russia of striking energy infrastructure in the city of Kherson and Poltava region of Ukraine over the last 24 hours.

“The Russian tactic of dragging out the war remains unchanged,” Ukraine’s General Staff said.

Russia's battlefield gains

Russian troops have made slow but steady gains in several sectors of the more than 1,000-kilometer (over 620-mile) frontline, and Zelenskyy warned Thursday that Russia was trying to drag out talks in preparation for bigger offensives.

Putin declared in overnight remarks that the Russian troops have "gained steam" and "are holding strategic initiative all along the line of contact.”

He noted that Russia is open to a peaceful settlement, but emphasized the need to “remove root causes that led to the current situation.”

Zelenskyy described the situation on the battlefield as “complicated” but under control. He also confirmed unofficial reports on social media about the presence of Ukrainian troops in Russia's Bryansk region, which borders Kursk in the north.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has lost a significant amount of ground in the Kursk region, but it is still present there, according to officials.

The president said the Ukrainian army had taken steps near the Kursk region to prevent Russians from launching an offensive in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv and southern Zaporizhzhia regions.