MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss a possible settlement of the Ukraine conflict and believes in a diplomatic solution, after the Kremlin suggested on Friday that Joe Biden would be open to talks with the Russian leader. said
Biden, speaking with French President Emmanuel Macron, said that the only way to end the war in Ukraine is for Putin to withdraw his troops, and if Putin wants to end the conflict, Biden will be ready to talk to him.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked about Biden’s comments, vehemently said that Putin was open to talks but that Russia would not withdraw from Ukraine.
“The President of the Russian Federation has always been, is and will be ready for negotiations to ensure our interests,” Peskov told reporters.
Putin has said he has no regrets over the launch of Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine, portraying it as a moment when Russia finally shakes off decades of humiliation since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The latter finally stood up against the Western hegemony. Union
Ukraine and the West say Putin has no justification for what he sees as an imperialist-style war of occupation. Ukraine says it will fight until the last Russian soldier is expelled from its territory.
Conversation?
Speaking at the White House, Biden said he and Macron agreed they would work together to hold Putin accountable for what he called a “barbaric” war – and that Putin’s actions in Ukraine The idea of ​​ever being defeated is beyond comprehension.
Biden, who said in March that Putin could not stay in power, said the Kremlin chief had miscalculated by attacking Ukraine but that if he was serious about leaving Ukraine, he would consult with Putin after consulting NATO allies. Will be ready to sit.
Russia has claimed a fifth of post-Soviet Ukraine, and will never accept annexation of Ukraine by the West.
Peskov said the U.S. refusal to recognize the “new territories” as Russian was hindering the search for any possible compromise.
“This significantly complicates the search for mutual ground for negotiations,” Peskov said.
Asked if the way Biden was framing potential contacts meant negotiations were impossible from a Russian perspective, Peskov said: “In essence, that’s what Biden said. He said that Putin’s Negotiations are possible only after leaving Ukraine.”
Peskov said that the Kremlin cannot accept this and that Russian military action in Ukraine will continue.
“But at the same time – it’s very important to put together – President Putin has been, is and has been open to communication, to negotiations. Of course, the best way to achieve our interests is through peaceful, diplomatic means. from.”
The conflict killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and set off the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
