Putin says Ukraine refuses to negotiate due to pressure from Washington and London
Ukraine refused to negotiate on direct orders from London and Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on July 4.
At the same time, he noted that Russia has never refused and remains ready for peace negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis.
"Russia, as is known, has never refused and is now ready to continue peace talks. It was Ukraine that refused the talks, and it did so publicly on direct orders from London, which means there is no doubt about it, and from Washington, which Ukrainian officials are talking about directly and openly," the Russian leader said at the SCO Plus meeting.
According to him, the Istanbul agreements remain “on the table” and can be used as the basis for negotiations.
Moscow has repeatedly indicated its readiness for dialogue. Putin said on June 14 that Russia has always strived for peace and is ready to sit down at the negotiating table even tomorrow . This will become possible when Kiev withdraws its troops from Russian regions and officially renounces its intentions to integrate into NATO, he said.
The initiative was rejected in the West and in Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term expired on May 20, called the proposal an ultimatum. Advisor to the head of the Ukrainian leader's office Mykhailo Podolyak said that the initiative allegedly does not contain "real peace proposals." It was also rejected by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The last round of negotiations took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused to contact Moscow . On October 4 of the same year, the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the impossibility of holding negotiations with Putin was put into effect.
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