Putin said Russia is ready to return to the negotiating table

Vladimir Putin stated that Russia was allegedly ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine after the elections. At the same time, he accused Kyiv of allegedly derailing this opportunity and stated that Moscow would decide for itself which proposals for ending the war were in its best interests.

 

Vladimir Putin stated that Russia was allegedly ready to return to negotiations with Ukraine after the elections in Russia. At the same time, the Russian president accused Kyiv of failing to take advantage of this opportunity. Putin made these statements on September 25 during a speech in Russia. They were widely reported by Russian state and propaganda media.

According to Putin, the opportunity to continue the negotiation process allegedly existed. However, he claims that Ukraine itself rejected this option. At the same time, Putin did not explain what specific steps Russia took to end the war before the elections or why the negotiation process was supposed to resume only after them. The Russian president also accused Ukraine of attempting to attack Moscow and polling stations.

According to him, on the night of September 19–20, the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly attempted to launch a massive strike on the Russian capital. However, Putin did not provide any independent evidence to support these claims in his statement. At the same time, Russian authorities regularly use claims of alleged Ukrainian attacks as an argument in their public accusations against Kyiv. Therefore, such statements by the Russian leadership should be viewed precisely as statements from a party to the war, rather than as established facts.

Putin also stated that all proposals for a possible peaceful settlement allegedly remain on the table. At the same time, he said, Moscow has yet to determine which of them are in Russia’s interests. “All proposals for a peaceful settlement are on the table, but Russia still needs to consider what is in its interests,” Putin said.

Thus, the Russian president simultaneously declared Moscow’s alleged readiness to return to negotiations and placed the blame for their absence on Ukraine. It is worth noting that Putin’s statement alone regarding his willingness to resume negotiations does not mean that the parties have already agreed to hold them or have settled on specific terms. As of the time of the statement, there was no mention of a new round of negotiations or its date. The Russian president made these remarks to the state-controlled media.

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Volodymyr Zelenskyy travel to Moscow for a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin. According to Bloomberg, the Ukrainian side rejected this proposal, and Zelenskyy publicly responded that he would come to the Russian capital “on a rocket.”