OMM Redaksiyası
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow wants to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations as soon as possible. However, he said any agreement must include terms acceptable to Russia and security guarantees.
Speaking at the Valdai Forum, Putin said Moscow favored ending the conflict through negotiations. He also reiterated Russia’s demand that Ukraine remain neutral after the fighting ends.
“We are ready for negotiations and want to conclude them as soon as possible, but on terms acceptable to the Russian people,” Putin said.
Putin described Ukraine’s neutrality as one of Russia’s objectives and said guarantees were needed to address Moscow’s security concerns. He also claimed that Russian forces had taken control of 1,301 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in September.
Strikes and preparations for winter
Despite expressing support for negotiations, Putin rejected a proposal to halt strikes in the Black Sea. Asked about the proposal, he answered, “No.”
Russia has intensified air attacks on Ukraine in recent days. On Wednesday, Russian forces carried out one of the largest coordinated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in months. The strikes killed seven people, including a child, and emergency power cuts were imposed around Kyiv as winter approaches.
Attacks continued on Thursday: Russian drones struck a school and the Southern Bridge in Kyiv, while Odesa was also targeted. Ukraine, meanwhile, has stepped up attacks inside Russia, including on oil refineries. Putin said the strikes had caused damage to the Russian economy equivalent to about 1% of gross domestic product.
Western support and a possible meeting
Putin accused Western countries of direct involvement in Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russian territory. He said Kyiv could not carry out such strikes without Western technical support and described the use of Ukraine as a means of targeting Russia as a threat to Moscow.
Putin said Russia was not on the verge of attacking factories in Western countries that produce weapons for Ukraine. However, he said Russian military and intelligence agencies should closely monitor those facilities.
The Russian leader also said he was ready for a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, provided the agenda was agreed in advance. In September, the Kremlin raised the possibility of the leaders meeting in November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Assets of Western companies
Putin also spoke about the fate of Western companies’ assets placed under state administration in Russia after relations with Europe deteriorated. He denied that Moscow had nationalized foreign companies, describing the measures as a response to steps taken against Russian assets in Europe.
“We have not nationalized anything from anyone,” Putin said, accusing some European countries of seizing Russian companies in violation of established rules.
Asked whether Western companies could recover their assets if relations improved and a “favorable scenario” emerged, Putin replied, “Yes, they will get them back.” After the escalation of tensions over the war in Ukraine, Russia placed the assets of several Western companies under temporary external management.
