Putin Says Russia Ready to Pursue Negotiated End to Ukraine Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow wants to bring the conflict with Ukraine to an end as quickly as possible through negotiations, according to a report by the newspaper Kommersant.

Putin said Russia's preference is for a diplomatic resolution rather than a continuation of the fighting, and he called on European governments to stop characterizing Russia as unwilling to take part in talks. He argued that such characterizations do not reflect Moscow's stated position.

Diplomatic Signals

The remarks are the latest in a series of public statements from the Kremlin addressing the prospects for negotiations over the war, which has continued for several years and drawn in Western governments through sanctions and military assistance to Kyiv. Putin's comments did not detail specific terms Russia would seek in any settlement.

Kommersant did not report an immediate response from Ukrainian or European officials to Putin's latest comments. Previous rounds of indirect and direct contacts between Russian and Ukrainian delegations have repeatedly stalled over disagreements on territory, security guarantees, and the sequencing of any ceasefire.

The statement comes amid continued scrutiny in European capitals over the pace and direction of the conflict, with officials there periodically disputing Moscow's characterization of its own openness to talks.