Putin Open to Ukraine Talks, Stresses Pre-Existing Deals


Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine, but only under the terms of previous agreements….reports Asian Lite News

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that his country is ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine, but only based on the agreements reached before.

“Well, let them (negotiations) return, but not from what one side wants, but based on those agreements reached during negotiations in Belarus and Turkey and based on the current situation on the ground,” Putin told a press conference on Friday following talks with his Belarusian counterpart, Aleksandr Lukashenko, in Minsk.

The Istanbul agreements satisfied both the Ukrainian and the Russian sides in 2022, Putin said, adding that Russia supports the resumption of negotiations with Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rescuers battle a fire at the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a shooting incident in the northwest of Moscow, Russia, on March 22, 2024.(Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/Xinhua/IANS)

Meanwhile, Alexander Bortnikov, Director of Russia’s Federal Security Service, on Friday said that Ukrainian military intelligence is directly involved in the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in the Moscow suburb.

Bortnikov made the statement at a meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

He said: “The investigation is ongoing, but it is already safe to say that Ukrainian military intelligence has a direct connection to this attack.”

Bortnikov promised that “all circumstances of the crime will be established and everyone involved in it will not escape punishment.”

A shooting at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall concert venue on March 22, followed by a massive fire, resulted in at least 144 deaths and 551 injuries, according to official statistics.

ALSO READ: G7 officials play down expectations on details of loan for Ukraine

Tagged:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *