Vladimir Putin Claims He Is Ready To Negotiate With Ukraine, References 'War' For First Time

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he wants to end the war in Ukraine. On Thursday, the Russian leader said should that for this to come to fruition, it would need to involve a diplomatic solution. Speaking to reporters, Putin made these comments on the same day Ukrainian President Vlodoymyr Zelensky was at the White House to meet with President Joe Biden.

In his statement, Putin pointed out that Russia’s goal is to end the war and not to spin the flywheel of military conflict. "We will strive for an end to this, and the sooner the better, of course,” the leader said.

In a state television interview, Putin claimed that Russia was prepared to negotiate some acceptable deals, but said it was Ukraine refusing to talk. The claim was reportedly something the Kremlin has reiterated for over 10 months. Putin also claimed that Russia had “no other choice” and added that he was confident that the Kremlin made the right decisions.

However, the White House spokesman John Kirby said Putin’s comments were quite contrary to his real intentions. He claimed that Moscow has shown no indication of willingness to negotiate an end to his Ukraine offensives since he invaded the country in February, Reuters sources reported.

Kirby cited how Putin’s actions rather show a man who wants to continue violence against the Ukrainian people and further escalate the war. He also mentioned that Biden was open to talks with Putin, on the condition that the Russian leader showed that he was serious about putting an end to the fighting, while Kyiv said Russia must cease its attacks as well as give up all the Ukrainian territories it has seized.

Meanwhile, Adviser to the Head of the Office of President Zelenskyy said, "Russia doesn’t want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility. This is obvious, so we are moving to the Tribunal."

While Putin echoed his intentions of wanting to negotiate talks, the assault on Ukraine continues. On Sunday, a country-wide air-raid alert was announced as three missiles hit the city of Kramatorsk in the partially occupied Donetsk region in the afternoon.