The Kremlin Calls Russia Open To Negotiating To End Conflict With Ukraine, As Long As...

JAKARTA - The Kremlin on Thursday gave a signal that it was open to negotiating with Ukraine to end Ukraine's conflict while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains in power, although publicly doubts its legitimacy to rule.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during a visit to China on Wednesday said Kyiv was ready to negotiate with Russia as long as Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity were fully respected, although he said Ukraine had not seen the signs.

The Kremlin, while signaling its readiness to negotiate with its own provisions, publicly questioned Zelensky's mandate to rule, by showing his five-year term ends in May and he should hold a general election.

President Zelensky and the West said it was necessary to suspend normal political rules at wartimes and the Kremlin, given Russia's strictly controlled political system, was not in a position to criticize.

When asked on Thursday if Russia would be ready to hold talks with Ukraine when President Zelensky came to power, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:

"Russia is generally open to the negotiation process. However, we must first understand how ready the Ukrainian side is for this and how much Ukraine has permission for this from its management," he said.

Moscow described President Zelensky as a US doll, a characterization he rejected.

"Because so far you've seen very different statements made, and it's not completely clear. Apart from the problem with Zelensky's legitimacy, there are also issues with the law ban (Ukraine) on contacting and negotiating with the Russian side. Therefore, there is still a lot to clarify and clarification to be heard," Peskov said.

When asked if the Kremlin could consider negotiations with Zelensky or explicitly rule out such possibilities, Peskov said:

"The question is not easy. From a legal point of view, this problem (of legitimization) is on the agenda, but from a practical point of view, we are open to achieving our goal through negotiations. Therefore, various options may be here."

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to stop the war in Ukraine by a negotiated ceasefire, but the Kremlin heads were ready to continue fighting if Kyiv and the West did not respond.

President Putin in June said Russia would end the war in Ukraine, something he called a special military operation, only if Kyiv agreed to cancel its NATO ambitions and give up the entire four provinces Moscow claims, demands Kyiv quickly rejected because they would be tantamount to surrendering.