Putin talks about negotiations with Ukraine, insists they should be based on Istanbul agreements

Alona Mazurenko — Thursday, 5 September 2024, 11:27

Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Photo: Getty Images

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said that Russia has not abandoned the idea of negotiations with Ukraine but they should be based on the "documents" agreed upon in Istanbul in 2022.

Source: Putin in a speech on 5 September

Quote: "Are we ready to negotiate with them? We have never refused to do so – but not on the basis of some ephemeral demands, but on the basis of the documents that were agreed and actually initiated in Istanbul.’

Details: The Russian leader said that China, Brazil, and India could mediate potential negotiations. He said that he had "trusting" relations with representatives of these countries.

Background:

Since Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has been trying to negotiate peace. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeatedly called on Russian ruler Vladimir Putin to discuss all pressing issues in person. The Russian ignored Zelenskyy. Eventually, Zelenskyy stated that Putin's statements about his desire for peace were not sincere and approved the National Security and Defence Council's decision about the impossibility of negotiating with him.
A few weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a peace deal could have been signed. The conditions for ending the war then were spelled out in a 17-page draft agreement that the parties agreed on on 15 April 2022. Russia demanded neutrality from Ukraine, and a limit on the number of troops, weapons, equipment and vehicles. The then-occupied territories were to remain with Russia.
However, in April 2022, Russia effectively disrupted peace talks with Ukraine by including a clause in the draft agreement stating that it would have a veto over the international community's response in the event of a repeated attack on Ukraine.