The Kremlin has said that President Putin is willing to negotiate about Ukraine.
The Kremlin said on Friday that President Putin is willing to talk to the U.S. about how to end the conflict in Ukraine and that he supports a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. This came after Vice President Joe Biden indicated that he would be willing to speak with Putin.
During a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Vice President Joe Biden said that the only way to end the conflict in Ukraine was for Putin to withdraw his troops, and that he would be willing to speak with Putin if he was interested in ending the conflict.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, responded to questions about Biden’s comments with a conciliatory tone, saying that while Putin was open to negotiations, Russia would not withdraw from Ukraine.
“The president of the Russian Federation has always been, is, and remains open to negotiations in order to ensure our interests,” Peskov told the press.
Putin claims he has no remorse over Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, which he has portrayed as a watershed moment when Russia stood up to arrogant Western hegemony after decades of humiliation following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ukraine and the West have accused Putin of launching an imperialist war of occupation without any justification. Ukraine has pledged to continue fighting until all Russian troops have left its territory.
Talks?
While speaking to reporters at the White House, Vice President Biden said that he and French President Emmanuel Macron had agreed to work together to hold Putin accountable for what Biden called a “barbaric” war and that it was inconceivable that Putin could ever defeat Ukraine.
After declaring in March that Putin could not remain in power, Vice President Joe Biden said that the Kremlin chief had miscalculated by invading Ukraine, but that if he was serious about getting out of Ukraine, Biden would be willing to sit down with Putin after consulting with NATO allies.
About a fifth of Ukraine’s post-Soviet territory has been annexed by Russia, a move that the West and Ukraine say they will never accept.
According to Peskov, the search for a compromise is being hampered by the United States’ refusal to recognize “the new territories” as Russian.
Consequently, “this significantly complicates the search for mutual ground for discussions,” Peskov said.
When asked if the Russians saw no room for negotiation because of how Biden framed possible contacts, Peskov responded: “Biden basically said that. He insisted that Putin’s departure from Ukraine was a prerequisite for any negotiations.”
According to Peskov, that’s something the Kremlin simply couldn’t accept, so Russian military operations in Ukraine would carry on as planned.
“But at the same time — it is very important to give this in conjunction – President Putin has been, is and remains open for contacts, for negotiations. Of course, the most preferable way to achieve our interests is through peaceful, diplomatic means.”
The conflict has left tens of thousands of soldiers dead on both sides and triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
