JAKARTA - President Vladimir Putin reiterated Russia's readiness and willingness to negotiate to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, calling for a return to the Istanbul Agreement.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 24th Meeting of the SCO State Head Council ( Shanghai Cooperation Organization) in Astana, Kazakhstan Thursday, President Putin ensured Moscow was ready to negotiate, blaming Kyiv for rejecting instructions from the West.
"Russia, as you know, has never rejected peaceful negotiations and is ready to proceed now," President Putin said, launching TASS July 4.
"Ukraine is the one who rejects the negotiations and does so openly and on direct instructions from London and Washington," he added, citing rhetoric from Ukrainian officials.
President Putin further said the 2022 Istanbul Agreement was still "on the table" and could serve as the basis for peace negotiations with Ukraine.
"In Istanbul's agreement, I am grateful for this, the president of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, who participated in this work as mediators. This agreement has not been rejected, they were approved by the head of Ukraine's negotiating delegation, which means, apparently, they are quite satisfying for Ukraine. This agreement, Istanbul's agreement, is still on the table and can serve as the basis for continuing these negotiations," he said, quoted by Anadolu.
Last month, President Putin said Russia was ready to negotiate a settlement of the Ukraine conflict at any time, even if it is held tomorrow, but he wants all parties involved to have to study their peace proposals.
"The proposal from our side is already on the table. It doesn't depend on us when all the actors interested in the negotiations will take what's on the table and start negotiating. They can do it tomorrow, but it's up to them when they want to do it," said President Putin.
"We support him and never give up, but not on the basis of some mortal form, but on the agreement reached after nearly a month and a half of difficult negotiations in Istanbul and Minsk. This is the basis where we are ready to continue our dialogue with the Ukrainian side," he explained.
Regarding the location of the negotiations, President Putin added, Russia has no problem with the location to be chosen to hold negotiations.
"It doesn't matter where the negotiations take place: in Minsk, Istanbul, or Switzerland," said President Putin.
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It is known that Russia and Ukraine met in Belarus in early March 2022, for the first negotiations after the launch of a special military operation, but the negotiations yielded no tangible results.
On March 29, 2022, the next round of negotiations took place in Istanbul, Turkey, when Moscow for the first time received a framework from Kyiv, for possible future agreements in writing.
The framework includes, in particular, obligations regarding Ukraine's neutral status and its unfavorable and refusal to deploy foreign weapons, including nuclear weapons, in its territory. However, the negotiation process was discontinued unilaterally by Ukraine.
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