Putin at Eastern Economic Forum calls Ukraine airspace warnings 'state terrorism,' says chance for peace exists

Why it matters

Putin used a major international platform to publicly reframe the conflict as primarily a bilateral matter between Russia and Ukraine, sidelining other potential mediators. At the same time, he opened a rhetorical door to a peaceful settlement while conditioning it on Kyiv stopping actions he labeled 'state terrorism,' signaling possible negotiation parameters. His escalation of the airspace dispute into a terrorism accusation intensifies the information war around Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, even as active diplomatic contacts (the US Treasury–Russian Finance meeting at the G20, a reported CIA director trip to Moscow, and Modi's appeal in Bishkek) keep pressure on Moscow from multiple tracks.

What happened

At the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 3, 2026, Vladimir Putin said Russia and Ukraine must primarily negotiate an end to the war between themselves, with other countries including the United States and China ready to support. He said there is a chance for a peaceful settlement. He then turned to Ukraine's recent airspace warnings: he characterized them as state terrorism, said they complicate the conduct of bilateral peace negotiations, and accused Ukraine's Western partners of silence, claiming that those who remain silent become accomplices in international terrorism.

The remarks came against a backdrop of escalation in the airspace dispute. On September 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky had stated that Russian airspace is becoming fully unsafe and warned airlines using it. On September 2, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced that Ukraine had officially notified the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN aviation agency, that Russian airspace is dangerous for civil aviation due to increased military activity. Moscow airports Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo suspended operations for a second consecutive night following the Ukrainian warnings, with hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed.

The forum also sat alongside other diplomatic contacts: on September 1, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Russian counterpart Anton Siluanov at a G20 finance ministers' meeting and conveyed a call to end the war against Ukraine; a CIA director reportedly flew to Moscow on a secret mission aboard a military aircraft shortly before the forum; and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin in Bishkek that the war must end for the sake of humanity and that India would support peace efforts. Putin has previously said Russia seeks its stated war aims, including the full capture of the Ukrainian Donbas.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All supplied sources are Ukrainian. They consistently frame Putin's peace-talk rhetoric against documented escalatory actions, including attacks on Russian oil refineries, the intensifying drone war, and repeated disruptions to Russian airspace. Coverage highlights Putin's aggressive language — 'state terrorism,' 'accomplices of international terrorism,' threats of retaliation — and pairs it with concrete Ukrainian institutional steps, such as the ICAO notification and the airline warnings. Ukrainian sources contextualize the airspace issue by foregrounding Moscow's own disruptions, citing the Azerbaijan Airlines crash of December 25, 2024, the rising frequency of Russia's 'Kover' airspace-closure plan, and the closure of Russian airports, arguing that Russian airspace is indeed unsafe and Zelensky's warning is substantiated rather than threatening. Diplomatic encounters (Bessent–Siluanov, the reported CIA director trip to Moscow, Modi in Bishkek) are presented as a backdrop of external pressure on Russia against which Putin's 'chance for peace' is read as either cautious or contradictory.

Where reporting differs

Sources differ on which US official made the reported secret trip to Moscow: some articles identify the traveler as CIA Director William Burns, while others name CIA Director John Ratcliffe. In addition, the 'Kover' airspace-closure statistics and daily drone-interception records cited as coming from the Russian Ministry of Defense are dated as far as August and July 31, 2026, raising questions about the reporting timeline relative to the dating of Putin's Eastern Economic Forum remarks.

Background

On September 1, Zelensky stated Russian airspace was becoming fully unsafe for civil aviation due to intensified military activity, warning airlines accordingly. On September 2, Ukraine officially notified ICAO that Russian airspace is dangerous for civil aviation and called on member states to ban civilian flights through it. On September 1, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Russian counterpart Anton Siluanov at a G20 finance ministers' meeting and conveyed a call to end the war. A CIA director reportedly flew to Moscow on a secret mission aboard a military aircraft shortly before the forum. Indian Prime Minister Modi told Putin in Bishkek that the war must end for the sake of humanity and that India would support peace efforts. Russia has deployed the 'Kover' airspace-closure plan with sharply rising frequency, and daily records of drones shot down by Russian air defense have escalated year over year. Moscow airports Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo suspended operations for a second consecutive night following Zelensky's warnings, with hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed. Putin has previously stated Russia seeks its stated war aims, including full capture of the Ukrainian Donbas. Russia's first mobilization was announced on September 21, 2022; reports of a new wave ahead of State Duma elections have been dismissed by Putin as an information attack.