Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that Moscow remains open to negotiations to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, suggesting that any agreement should involve compromises from both sides. His comments, made during a late-night interview at the recent BRICS summit in Kazan, were released to Russian media Friday morning.
Putin stated that while any resolution to the hostilities must ultimately benefit Russia, the Kremlin is willing to consider “rational” compromises. However, he expressed skepticism about the feasibility of negotiations due to Ukraine’s current stance on diplomacy. “Unfortunately, Ukraine’s unwillingness to negotiate renders moot any discussions of what Moscow would be willing to offer,” Putin remarked.
According to Putin, a recent peace proposal was introduced by Turkey, which reportedly communicated an overture from Kyiv. Putin shared that while Russia accepted the proposal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly rejected the possibility of negotiations the following day. “This is irrational behavior, which is hard to predict,” he said. “No plans can be based on this foundation. So there is no sense in discussing whether we would reach an agreement and what it would be.”
Putin’s comments follow his address at the BRICS summit, where he disclosed communications with Turkish intelligence head Ibrahim Kalin, who reportedly relayed Ukraine’s initial willingness to consider talks. Moscow’s efforts to explore peace options, however, have been hampered by what the Russian leader described as erratic messaging from Kyiv.
