(Dan Tri) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine has begun to consider negotiations with Russia to end the conflict that has lasted more than a year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: TASS).
`Now, we hear that they (Ukraine) are ready for some negotiations. Even those in charge of foreign policy who recently declared that Russia must suffer a strategic defeat on the battlefield have changed their views.`
The Kremlin owner added: `They are thinking about the negotiation process in Ukraine; this is an adjustment in the right direction. I applaud them for that, but it is not enough.`
According to him, Ukraine needs to take `concrete steps if it really wants to negotiate`.
`If Ukraine really wants to participate in the negotiation process, there is no need to stand aside. The first thing to do is to cancel the Ukrainian President’s decree banning negotiations,` Mr. Putin told reporters on the sidelines of the Forum.
Mr. Putin also denied rumors that Russia is losing in Ukraine.
He called the US decision to send ATACMS long-range missiles to Kiev a mistake.
Russia and Ukraine have not sat at the negotiating table since talks in Istanbul, Türkiye at the end of March last year, a month after the conflict broke out.
In October 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree not to negotiate with President Putin’s government.
In a recent interview with Chinese media, President Putin once again emphasized that Russia never opposes a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
`They do not want to participate in any negotiations. In fact, the President of Ukraine has even issued a decree banning any negotiations with us. How can we have dialogue if they are not ready and prohibit
Mr. Putin said that Moscow is ready for peace talks with Ukraine on the basis of the peace plan proposed by China earlier this year.
Earlier this year, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a 12-point proposal to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials announced that peace talks will only take place when Russia withdraws all troops from Ukrainian territory and that all peace negotiations must be based on the 10-point `peace formula` proposed by President Zelensky.
