Putin Proposes U.N.-Backed Governance in Ukraine, Claims Military Gains
MOSCOW/KYIV, March 28 – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday proposed placing Ukraine under temporary U.N.-sponsored external governance, arguing it could pave the way for fresh elections and a legitimate government capable of negotiating a peace deal with Moscow.
Speaking in televised remarks, Putin reiterated his claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, lacks legitimacy. He warned that any agreement signed by the current Kyiv administration could be contested by future governments.
“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 introducing temporary governance in Ukraine,” Putin said. He described the proposal as “one of the options” for resolving the conflict.
His comments followed a Paris summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, where Western leaders discussed potential troop deployments to Ukraine as part of a peace deal. Russia has warned it would not accept NATO troops as peacekeepers.
Macron and other Western leaders accused Russia of delaying negotiations while intensifying its military campaign. They are playing games and they’re playing for time,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. “We can’t let them drag this out while they continue prosecuting their illegal invasion.”
Despite a U.S.-brokered agreement to halt strikes on energy infrastructure, Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of violations. Russia launched 163 drones at Ukraine late Thursday, according to the Ukrainian air force, which said 89 were shot down and 51 were jammed. Residential buildings, warehouses, and power facilities in multiple regions sustained damage, and at least one civilian was injured, officials said.
Moscow accused Kyiv of striking Russian energy sites, including a gas metering station in the Kursk region and an energy facility in Bryansk. The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted 19 Ukrainian drones attempting to hit an oil refinery in Saratov.
The Kremlin claimed Kyiv’s continued attacks proved Ukraine was using the U.S.-proposed energy truce as a tactic to regroup militarily. Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, but Putin has made a broader truce conditional on halting Western arms supplies and suspending Ukraine’s military mobilization—demands Kyiv has rejected.
Putin insisted that Russian troops had gained momentum on the battlefield. “We are holding the strategic initiative all along the line of contact,” he said. Moscow continues to demand that Kyiv withdraw from four partially occupied regions, abandon NATO aspirations, significantly reduce its military, and grant legal protections for Russian language and culture.
Kremlin officials have also said that any future peace agreement must include the unfreezing of Russian assets in the West and the lifting of sanctions. The Trump administration has indicated it would consider discussing sanctions relief as part of broader negotiations.
