Putin declares readiness for talks, but considers them illegitimate — Zelenskyy responds

Vladimir Putin, photo: TASS

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is ready to «allocate people» to negotiate with Ukraine to end the war. At the same time, he called any such talks «illegitimate».

He said this in an interview on the propaganda TV channel «Russia 1».

According to Vladimir Putin, during possible negotiations, the Kremlin will put forward demands that «meet Russia's interests». He also noted that negotiations can be held with anyone, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his opinion, is «illegitimate» and cannot sign any documents.

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Putin also mentioned Zelenskyy's decree prohibiting negotiations with him and said that to start a dialogue, Ukraine must «find a way to change this decree».

«Russia does not yet see Ukraine's desire to resolve any legal issue. The issue is the final signing of the documents. This is a very important issue that should guarantee the security of Ukraine and Russia for a serious long-term historical perspective,» Vladimir Putin said.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to these statements by stressing that Putin is afraid of real negotiations and is trying to drag out the war.

«Now we see that there is an opportunity to achieve real peace, but it is Putin who is doing everything to either continue killing on a full scale or get a pause to prepare a new full-scale invasion by launching hybrid strikes,» Zelenskyy said.

It should be noted that earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he had stopped separatism in the country by banning direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As a reminder, the White House has stated that the war waged by Russia against Ukraine must end in a way that meets the aspirations of the Ukrainian people.