Putin ready for talks with Ukraine, but there's a condition
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled his willingness to engage in talks with Ukraine on the condition that these discussions be based on the Istanbul agreement from 2022. In March 2022, Moscow and Kyiv negotiators reached a deal, but the terms were never made public. "We have never refused to [negotiate], but not on the basis of some ephemeral demands, but on the basis of those documents that were agreed and actually initialled in Istanbul," Putin said.
Putin suggests potential mediators for peace talks
The Kremlin has repeatedly claimed that Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching a deal in spring 2022, shortly after Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine. In July too, Putin stated that the 2022 Istanbul agreements were still "on the table" and can serve as the basis for peace talks with Ukraine. Putin has now suggested that India, China, and Brazil could potentially act as mediators in the peace dialogues.
Ukraine launched unprecedented cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk region
This statement comes months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow, followed by his visit to Ukraine last month, the first by any Indian PM in decades. Speaking at Russia's Eastern Economic Forum in the city of Vladivostok, Putin also addressed Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region and its effects on the broader conflict. In August, Ukraine launched an unprecedented cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk region, sending thousands of troops across the border and seizing numerous villages.
Putin accuses Ukraine of strategic misstep in Kursk
Putin claimed that this move was intended to hinder the Russian advance in Donbas but ultimately backfired as Kyiv inadvertently weakened its forces along the rest of the front. By transferring large, well-trained units into Russia, Ukraine had diminished its own strength, allowing Russia to accelerate its offensive in eastern Ukraine, he added.
