Putin Says Ukraine Peace Talks Must Address Security of Russia, Ukraine and Wider Europe

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that any future negotiations to end the war in Ukraine must focus on security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine, as well as a broader framework for security across Europe.

Speaking in an interview on Russian television a day after meeting U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, Putin confirmed that Moscow is ready to resume U.S.-mediated talks with Kyiv next month. He said negotiations on a range of issues could produce a positive result. He added, however, that Russia seeks a final peace settlement that guarantees the security of both countries, not a temporary ceasefire.

Putin said Witkoff had also stressed that the talks should cover the overall architecture of European security, a position he said he shared. He repeated the Kremlin’s longstanding argument that Russia never wanted war but had met hostile responses from Ukraine on issues Moscow considers vital.

On territory, the most contentious issue in the negotiations, Putin said any discussion of eastern Ukraine must take into account what he described as the region’s status as historically Russian land. He also cited the referendums Russia organised in occupied areas seven months after launching its full-scale invasion, which Kyiv and most of the international community have rejected as illegitimate. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region, while Kyiv refuses to give up any territory it currently controls.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met Witkoff in Norway on Tuesday, said Ukraine is ready to take part in talks, which are expected to take place by early next month. Kyiv has said it supports proposals for a ceasefire, an end to the war, a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure and humanitarian measures.

The U.S.-led diplomatic effort stalled in February, when the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran broke out. The planned resumption would be the first substantive round of negotiations since then.