Putin: West persuaded Ukraine to continue conflict

The countries of the collective West have persuaded Ukraine to continue the conflict with the help of former US President Joe Biden. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on January 28.

"As you know, Mr. Boris Johnson, who was then British Prime Minister, arrived, probably at the behest of the former US administration led by Mr. Biden. They persuaded Ukraine," the president said in a conversation with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin.

He added that Ukrainian officials of "high rank" were not hiding this fact either. Putin also noted that this fact was "not hidden" in London.

Earlier in the day, Putin said that the conflict in Ukraine could end in a month and a half or two months if Kiev runs out of ammunition and Western funding.

Also in his conversation with Zarubin, Putin shared that in 2022, Russia offered Ukraine to withdraw from the territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DNR, LNR) to avoid conflict. He also recalled that the talks started immediately after the start of the special military operation (SMO).On January 22, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reminded that in order to resolve the crisis, it is necessary to remove its root causes and achieve reliable guarantees.

Putin repeatedly reminded that Russia has never given up on peace talks on Ukraine, but they should be conducted on the basis of the provisions agreed in Istanbul and not on the basis of "ephemeral demands."

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, 2022, the Ukrainian president put into effect the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.