Not seen, not agreed: Putin comments on possible meeting with Zelenskyy and on the draft security guarantees

STANISLAV POHORILOV — FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2022, 19:55

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a press conference following his visit to Uzbekistan [for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit - ed.], said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has no desire to meet with him, and noted that he had not seen any proposals on security guarantees for Ukraine.

Source: Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti

Quote from Putin: "The first condition (for the meeting to take place) is that they (Ukraine) agree. But they refuse! Zelensky has announced this! He said publicly – I don't know where, but publicly – that he is not ready and does not want to talk to Russia."

Details: At the same time, Putin mentioned the Turkish president, who believes that such a meeting can yield a positive result.

The Russian president also said that he is not familiar with the proposals on security guarantees for Ukraine. "To be honest, I am not familiar with what they are proposing this time [for the draft security guarantees for Ukraine - ed.]," he said.

Putin says that Russia allegedly negotiated security guarantees in the form of the draft Istanbul agreement [discussed in March 2022]. And he claims this was why Russia "pulled out" its troops from Kyiv, in order to "create the conditions for concluding this agreement."

Background: 

After the liberation of settlements in Kharkiv Oblast by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is not opposed to negotiations with Ukraine.

 The Head of the President’s Office, Andrii Yermak, and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen presented recommendations on the Kyiv Security Compact for strategic partnership between Ukraine and the guarantor states.

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