Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested Ukraine could be placed under a form of temporary international administration to allow for elections and the signing of key accords.
The long-term goal of such an administration would be reaching a settlement to end the war, Putin said during a visit to the Northern Fleet in Murmansk on March 28, according to Russian news agencies.
"This is just one of the options. I am not saying that there are no others," Putin said, speaking after talks in Paris about how to firm up Ukraine's position on and off the battlefield.
The idea could be implemented "under the auspices of the UN, the USA, with European countries" and with "partners and friends" of Russia, Putin said.
The goal would be "to hold democratic elections and bring to power a capable government enjoying the trust of the people and then to start talks with them about a peace treaty," Putin said.
Putin has long complained that Ukraine's authorities are not a legitimate negotiating partner because President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has remained in power beyond the end of his five-year mandate.
No Elections Under Martial Law
Elections were to be held in May 2024, but under Ukrainian law Zelenskyy remains president until new elections are held. But they cannot be held under martial law, which the country has been under since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.
Putin repeated that he views the current leadership of Ukraine as illegitimate and he is therefore resistant to signing any documents with it.
Putin also expressed Russia's readiness for a peaceful settlement, saying Russia is "persistently and confidently moving toward achieving all the goals stated at the beginning" of the Russian invasion. "There is reason to believe that we will achieve them.”
He said he believed US President Donald Trump sincerely wants to end the conflict, and Trump's push for direct talks between US and Russian negotiators showed that Trump wants peace.
There has been no reaction from Ukraine to Putin's latest statements.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
As Bombs Strike Ukraine's Sumy Region, Villagers Salvage What They Can Before Fleeing
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it's too early to expect high-level talks with Russia.
"There's a lot of work to be done with both sides, particularly with the Russian side, which we haven't talked to for years," Rubio said on March 27 on his return flight to the United States after a Caribbean tour.
Asked how long it would take to make progress, Rubio said, "I just can't put a timeframe on that because it doesn't depend on us."
French President Emmanuel Macron, who on March 27 hosted a summit of the leaders of a "coalition of the willing," said they were more united around Ukraine than ever before and need to ensure that they're able to counter what he described as Russia's plan to draw out the negotiating process in order to grab more land.
"Our target is clear," Macron said at a press conference after the summit involving the leaders of 27 countries. "It is to achieve peace -- and to do this, we need to get Ukraine in the best possible place."
The summit discussed the potential deployment of European forces in Ukraine to complement a future cease-fire or peace deal.
"There will be a reassurance force operating in Ukraine representing several countries," Macron said.
He added that there is currently no unanimity on sending a European-led force and that not all members have agreed to participate, but he said that this is not required to move ahead.
The French president said that foreign ministers of coalition countries were tasked with looking at specific legal questions over any European-led reassurance force and told to report back in three weeks.
Whether the plan will result in a deployment or whether it will be integrated into diplomatic talks spearheaded by Washington remains to be seen.
Saudi Peace Talks
Following the summit, Zelenskyy said everyone understood that Russia does not seek peace and said that work on security guarantees would continue in the coming days and weeks.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine, Russia Report Drone And Energy Infrastructure Attacks As Kremlin's Conditions Cloud Black Sea TruceEarlier this week, separate US talks with Kyiv and Moscow in Saudi Arabia led to the announcement of a deal that the White House said resulted in a cease-fire in the Black Sea and an agreement "to develop measures for implementing" their commitment to halt strikes on energy facilities.
But Russia is also demanding a number of conditions be met before it abides by the Black Sea agreement, including an easing of sanctions.
Macron said following the summit in Paris that he intends to speak to Trump and praised the recent US diplomacy.
Later on March 27, Trump adviser Elon Musk told Fox News that he believes there will be a negotiated peace to end the war.
“For the past two years, thousands of people have died every week for nothing. For what?” said Musk, who has become one of Trump's closest advisers.
He said he has "contempt" for people who want to continue the war without regard for those who are dying.
"I take great offense at those who…put the appearance of goodness over the reality of it,” he said. “Those who virtue signal and say we can’t give in to Russia but have no solution to stopping thousands of kids dying every day.”
Asked whether he is optimistic that Trump’s plan to end the war will work, Musk said the plan is the only thing that will work.