PUTIN: Russia ‘ready to negotiate’ over Ukraine

President Vladmir Putin has said Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war on Ukraine, accusing Kyiv and western allies of “refusing” to negotiate.

Putin said in an interview with Rossiya 1 state television: “We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them – we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are.”

He added that Russia was heading in the “right direction” in Ukraine because the west was trying to leave Russia apart, led by the US.

Putin continued: “I believe that we are acting in the right direction, we are defending our national interests, the interests of our citizens, our people. And we have no other choice but to protect our citizens.”

Moscow has insisted that it is open to negotiations, however, Kyiv and its allies suspect that Putin’s is attempting to buy time following a series of Russian defeats and retreats in battle, The Guardian reports.

Putin said on Thursday that Moscow “will strive” to end the war and that this would inevitably involve “some kind of negotiations on the diplomatic track”.

The comments came a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the US.

The White House’s spokesperson, John Kirby, said Putin has “shown absolutely zero indication that he’s willing to negotiate” an end to the war. “Quite the contrary,” Kirby said.

“Everything he is doing on the ground and in the air bespeaks a man who wants to continue to visit violence upon the Ukrainian people,” he added.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories. Remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.