MOSCOW, October 23 (ANI) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia remained ready to negotiate and seek solutions to what he described as a difficult and complicated situation in Ukraine.
Speaking to Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin, Putin, who recently held extensive talks with U.S. negotiators led by Steve Witkoff, said Russia and the United States had agreed to resume trilateral contacts.
“I think we can reach an agreement … But if someone wants it differently, fine, it will be different. But in any case, we will achieve our objectives, and all the goals of the special military operation will be achieved. Regarding our talks with the U.S. administration representative, yes, we agreed that we are ready to resume our trilateral contacts. The goal of these talks will be to discuss ensuring the security of Ukraine and Russia after the conclusion of a final peace agreement, not as a result of a brief suspension of hostilities. We are ready to resume these contacts to achieve this goal,” Putin said.
“The U.S. administration representative emphasized that if we are to discuss issues related to ensuring future security for both Ukraine and Russia, then, naturally, we will also need to discuss the European security architecture as a whole. And I agree with this. Well, we’ll see how the situation develops in the coming days,” he added.
Putin claimed that Russia had consistently advocated a peaceful resolution, while accusing Ukraine of having initiated the war.
“We’ve always advocated for a peaceful resolution, from the very first days. We already talked about this in 2014: let’s help you reach an agreement with the southeast of what was then Ukraine. No, they used guns and planes against civilians; they practically unleashed a war. Then came the Minsk agreements. We always wanted them to reach an agreement with that part of Ukraine that disagreed with the coup. No, they rejected that. Then, before we began our actions to protect people in Donbas, we also told them: let’s avoid any excesses, let’s reach an agreement — no, we’ll fight. Fine,” Putin said.
“I want to say that we are still ready to negotiate and seek a solution to this difficult, complex situation, in the sense that these are people very close to us, you understand? The latest genetic research shows that Russians and Ukrainians are truly one people. Okay, some people want to think differently, to think differently. Fine, we agree. That’s how the history of historical Russia unfolded, and that’s the reality of today. But everything can be agreed upon,” he added.
Putin’s remarks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized what appeared to be a shift in the U.S. stance toward Russia.
“My attitude to Putin is very clear. I think that if we lift sanctions, we will make him stronger. It’s not something personal between me and President Trump, and of course I’m against any lifting of sanctions,” Zelenskyy told CNN.
Earlier Thursday, Zelenskyy alleged that Russia continued to attack Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles and cluster warheads. (ANI)
About The Author
