Russian president says ready for talks on Ukraine on previous terms

There are no preconditions for Russia to start negotiations on Ukraine, but there are conditions for peace. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this during his approach to journalists in Astana on 28 November.

The head of state noted that the Russian Federation is ready for negotiations on Ukraine on the previous conditions.

"I did not say that the preconditions for the start of negotiations are such and such. I was just talking about our conditions of peace. In my opinion, the conditions of peace, long-term, sustainable, could be such, and they were detailed in my June speech at a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. There is nothing more to repeat," the Russian president said.

Putin added that the principled attitude toward the settlement of the situation in Ukraine has not changed even with Russia's new weapons systems.

"We are all aware of this, that the appearance of such weapons as the Oreshnik, it strengthens Russia's military position," he clarified.

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Earlier, on November 25, the British magazine The Economist wrote with reference to the Ukrainian military that the AFU fighters are ready to agree to territorial concessions in favor of Russia because of fatigue. It was noted that the militants are increasingly accepting the idea that "a cease-fire may be the only way out" of the conflict.

Prior to that, on November 23, the AFU General Staff said that the situation in the combat zone was difficult for the Ukrainian army. The Ukrainian General Staff noted that the Russian army was attacking the positions of the AFU on a daily basis, using the advantage in military equipment and soldiers.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on 17 November that he supported the start of peace talks with the Russian president despite criticism from NATO allies and Kiev. At the same time, he expressed the view that the West should continue to support Ukraine.

Putin said on October 18 that Russia was ready to engage in a dialog on a peaceful end to the conflict in Ukraine, but only on the basis of the 2022 Istanbul agreements. The Russian Federation, more than anyone else, is interested in ending the special operation as soon as possible and by peaceful means.

The last round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4 of the same year, Zelensky introduced the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of the country about the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.