Putin Outlines Terms for Peace Talks With Kiev
Putin says Moscow is ready for peace talks with Kiev based on Istanbul agreements, Anchorage modalities and current realities on the ground.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who held a meeting with cabinet members on June 23, outlined the principles on which Moscow is prepared to conduct peace talks with Kiev.
Putin said Russia’s position is based on the agreements reached in Istanbul, the modalities discussed in Anchorage, and, most importantly, the realities on the ground. He also referred to the principles he set out a couple of years ago during a speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
At the same time, the Russian leader said Ukrainian troops continue to lose territory. According to him, the Russian Armed Forces will keep advancing in all directions, relying on the stability of the economy and the successes of Russian troops.
Putin argued that Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure, including strikes on a bus carrying Belarusian children in the Belgorod Region and on a student dormitory in Starobelsk, do not change the situation at the front and cannot influence events along the line of contact.
The Russian president said these strikes are intended to create the impression that Kiev holds a strong position ahead of possible negotiations. He also described the Kiev regime as neo-Nazi.
In spring 2022, a draft peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine was already initialed in Istanbul after in-person talks. However, Kiev later withdrew from the peace process under pressure from Western countries.
During his 2024 address at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Putin named the conditions for ending the Ukrainian conflict. These included the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as Kiev’s renunciation of plans to join the North Atlantic Alliance.