After declaring that he is prepared to begin peace talks with Ukraine in order to bring an end to the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stipulated a condition.
Goldennewsng reports that however, he stated that only if Kyiv accepts “new territorial realities,” the talks will continue.
Even though it does not fully control the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, or Kherson regions, the Kremlin asserts that it has annexed them.
On Thursday, January 5, the Kremlin stated that Putin told Erdogan that peace talks are possible, but only if Ukraine accepts that Moscow’s occupied territories are Russian.
According to a statement released by the Kremlin, “Putin again confirmed Russia’s openness to serious dialogue on the condition that Kyiv authorities fulfill the well-known and repeatedly voiced requirements of taking into account the new territorial realities.”
His office stated earlier that Erdogan had requested peace talks during the phone call with Putin.
The statement from the Kremlin added, “The Russian side emphasised the destructive role of Western states, pumping the Kyiv regime with weapons and military equipment, providing it with operational information and targets.”
This isn’t the first time Putin has said he’s ready for peace talks with Moscow under the terms Moscow has specified.
Putin stated in an interview with state television on Christmas Day that Russia is “prepared to negotiate some acceptable outcomes” regarding the war in Ukraine.
Additionally, the leaders discussed the implementation of a significant grain deal to unblock Ukrainian grain, which was mediated by the UN with the assistance of Turkey.
According to the Kremlin, the two discussed the necessity of “the removal of all barriers to Russian exports” and “the unblocking of food and fertiliser supplies from Russia.”
