Russian President Vladimir Putin said he sees no point in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
“Why? Because reaching agreement with the Ukrainian side on the key issues is practically impossible: even if there is political will - which I doubt - there are legal and technical hurdles,” Putin said.
He added that he is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Earlier, Putin said Zelensky would need to come to Moscow for such a meeting.
Putin also responded to French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement that 26 countries have expressed readiness to send a military contingent to Ukraine or support such a mission after a ceasefire or the signing of a peace agreement.
“As for possible military contingents in Ukraine - this is one of the root causes of drawing Ukraine into NATO. Therefore, if any troops appear there, especially now, during active hostilities, we proceed from the assumption they would be legitimate targets,” Putin said.
On Thursday, after a meeting of countries in the “coalition of the willing,” Macron said a key condition for security guarantees is preserving a full-fledged Ukrainian army without limits on its size or armaments.
He specified that the first element of guarantees is strengthening Ukraine’s armed forces; the second is allied security forces ready to deploy.
Against this backdrop, US President Donald Trump - who in mid-August set aside two weeks to organize direct talks between Putin and Zelensky - said the Russian and Ukrainian leaders are not yet ready to make peace.
Trump pledged to keep pushing for a peace deal and described his stance as “realistic and optimistic.”
A White House spokesperson said Trump intends to hold a phone call with Putin in the coming days.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said arranging an in-person meeting between Putin and Trump “could be done very quickly.”
