Afət Ziyadqızı
Russian President Vladimir Putin has commented on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s remarks in an interview with U.S. media about the possibility of freezing hostilities along the current line of contact and accepting territorial losses.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the Russian head of state addressed the legal status of areas under Moscow’s control, claiming they historically belonged to Russia.
Putin claimed that residents of those regions had voted in referendums first for independence and later to join the Russian Federation. He said Kyiv had no legal basis for describing this as a “loss of territory.”
The Russian leader sharply criticized what he called an anti-Russian campaign in European countries and statements about a potential threat from Russia. He described the European political elite’s approach as “political schizophrenia” and said calls to prepare for military conflict with Moscow were illogical.
“Political developments in Europe show that ordinary Europeans do not want war with Russia. Russia also has no intention of waging war against Europe and is not preparing for one. Dreams of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield are far removed from reality. Those who understand this truth will, over time, recognize the need to build good-neighborly and friendly relations with Russia,” Putin said.
Assessing the Ukrainian leadership’s position in the conflict, the Russian president criticized Kyiv’s strategy of seeking continued financial and military support from its international partners. He also criticized the Ukrainian authorities’ compulsory mobilization measures, claiming that forcing citizens to the front had sharply reduced morale in the army.
Putin said Russia had supported a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict since 2014 and remained open to reaching a compromise agreement.
“Even today, we are ready to find ways to resolve this difficult and complex crisis and reach agreement on fundamental issues. Russians and Ukrainians are peoples with deep genetic and historical ties. It is possible to reach constructive agreement on every issue. At the same time, Russia will fulfil the strategic tasks it has set for itself and achieve the stated goals of the military operation,” the head of state added.
Putin also addressed details of confidential talks he held in St. Petersburg with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of the president of the United States. The Russian leader said the parties had agreed to resume trilateral diplomatic contacts between Russia, the United States and Ukraine.
He stressed that, after a sustainable peace agreement is signed, the parties would discuss in detail long-term security guarantees for both Ukraine and Russia, as well as a new security architecture for Europe.
