Putin, facing Trump deadline, says he hopes Ukraine peace talks will continue
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Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments come a week before the expiry of a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Aug 1 that Russia is hoping for more peace talks with Ukraine, but that the momentum of the war is in its favour, signalling no shift in his stance despite a looming sanctions deadline from the United States.
US President Donald Trump has said he will impose new sanctions
He has expressed mounting frustration with Mr Putin, describing Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine as “disgusting”
Mr Putin, without referring to the Trump deadline, said three sessions of peace talks with Ukraine have yielded some positive results, and Russia is expecting negotiations to continue.
“As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations. This is a well-known general rule,” he said.
“But in order to approach the issue peacefully, it is necessary to conduct detailed conversations, and not in public… This must be done calmly, in the quiet of the negotiation process,” said Mr Putin.
He said Russian troops are attacking Ukraine along the entire front line, and that the momentum is in their favour, citing the announcement by his Defence Ministry on July 31 that Moscow’s forces have captured the Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar after a 16-month battle.
Ukraine denied that Chasiv Yar is under full Russian control.
Ukraine for months has been urging an immediate ceasefire, but Russia says it wants a final and durable settlement, not a pause.
Since the peace talks began in Istanbul in May, it has conducted some of its heaviest air strikes of the war, especially on the capital Kyiv.
The Ukrainian government has said the Russian negotiators do not have the mandate to take significant decisions, and President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Mr Putin to meet him for talks.
“We understand who makes the decisions in Russia and who must end this war. The whole world understands this too,” Mr Zelensky said on Aug 1 on X, reiterating his call for direct talks between him and Mr Putin.
“The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia’s readiness,” he said.
Russia says a leaders’ meeting can only take place to set the seal on agreements reached by negotiators.
Ukraine and its European allies have frequently said they do not believe Mr Putin is really interested in peace and have accused him of stalling, which the Kremlin denies.
“I will repeat once again: We need a long and lasting peace on good foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and ensure the security of both countries,” Mr Putin said, adding that this is also a question of European security.
Mr Putin was speaking alongside his ally, Mr Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, at talks on an island in Lake Ladoga that is the site of a famous Russian monastery.
Russian TV earlier showed the two men greeting monks at the Valaam Monastery, where they have met several times before, and holding candles during the chanting of prayers. REUTERS
