Putin Reaffirms Russia’s Readiness for Talks on Ukraine, Criticizes Kyiv’s Stance

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Friday that Russia remains open to negotiations on resolving the Ukrainian conflict, including discussions with the United States, but criticized the Kyiv authorities for opposing such talks.

"We have been always saying this, and I want to reiterate it, that we are ready for such negotiations on the Ukrainian issue," he said in an interview with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin after his visit to the Moscow State University commenting on US President Donal Trump’s one of the recent statements to launch talks with Russia on the Ukrainian conflict settlement, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

"However, we are faced with some particular issues here that require special attention," Putin continued. "As you may all know well, for instance, the current head of the regime in Kyiv, when he was still a fairly legitimate head of state, inked a decree banning all negotiations with Russia."