MOSCOW — Moscow is open to talks on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin
said.
"We have always said this, and I would like to
emphasise this once again, we are ready for negotiations on the Ukrainian
issue," Putin said on Friday.
In the meantime, the Russian president said that certain
issues require special attention. He recalled that Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky had previously issued a decree prohibiting such
negotiations, Xinhua news agency reported.
"How can negotiations be resumed now when they have
been banned?" Putin questioned, adding that if talks were to resume, they
would be illegitimate under Ukraine's current legal framework.
Putin said that as long as the decree remains in place, it
will be difficult to talk about whether these negotiations can begin, or
whether they can be properly completed. He noted that while some preliminary
discussions can happen, serious negotiations would be difficult given the
existing ban from the Ukrainian side.
The Russian leader said Zelensky "was in no hurry"
to lift the decree banning negotiations, and follow the orders of his sponsors.
He said that those who are funding Kiev should pressure the Ukrainian leader to
do so.
During his speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual
Meeting in Davos on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said US efforts to
secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine were "hopefully
underway," adding that Ukraine was ready to make a deal.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday
that Moscow is ready for nuclear disarmament talks with Washington, although it
would be necessary to take into account the nuclear arsenals of US allies.
During his virtual address to the World Economic Forum (WEF)
Annual Meeting in Davos, US President Donald Trump called for denuclearisation,
adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin supported this idea.
"In the interests of the entire world and the peoples
of our countries, of course, we are interested in starting this negotiation
process as soon as possible," Peskov said.
"In the current conditions … it is necessary to take
into account all nuclear potentials," Peskov stressed, adding that it
would be impossible to discuss disarmament without addressing the nuclear
potentials of France and Britain.
