President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia wants an end to the war in Ukraine and that will inevitably involve a diplomatic solution.
Cheese fries made the comments a day after US President Joe Biden welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House and promised him continued and unwavering US support.
“Our goal is not to turn the wheel of a military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war,” Putin said. “We will work to end it, and the sooner the better, of course.”
White House spokesman John Kirby said Putin had “shown absolutely no indication that he was prepared to negotiate” an end to the war, which began when Moscow sent troops to Ukraine on February 24.
“Quite the opposite,” Kirby told reporters during an online briefing. “Everything he (Putin) does on the ground and in the air testifies to a man who wants to continue to inflict violence on the Ukrainian people” and “escalate the war”.
Kirby said Biden was open to talks with Putin, but only after the Russian leader “showed seriousness about negotiations” and after consultations with Ukraine and its American allies.
Russia has consistently said it is open to negotiations, but Ukraine and its allies suspect a ploy to buy time after a string of Russian defeats and retreats tipped the momentum of the 10-month war into favor of Kyiv.
“I have said many times: escalation of hostilities leads to unjustified casualties,” Putin told reporters.
“All armed conflicts end in one way or another with some sort of negotiation on the diplomatic channel,” he added. “Sooner or later, all parties in conflict sit down and come to an agreement. The sooner that realization comes to those who oppose us, the better. We have never given up on that.”
Russia says it is Ukraine that refuses to talk. Kyiv says Russia must stop its attacks and give up all the territory it has seized.
Putin also downplayed the Patriot air defense system that Biden agreed to provide Zelenskiy, saying Russia would find a way to counter it.
He said it was “pretty old” and didn’t work like the Russian S-300 system. “An antidote will always be found,” he said, boasting that Russia would “break” the Patriots.
“So those who do it do it in vain. It only prolongs the conflict, that’s all.”
Putin also said that a price cap imposed on Russian oil by Western countries, designed to limit its ability to finance the war, would not harm the Russian economy. He said he would sign an executive order early next week outlining Russia’s response.
Cheese fries made the comments a day after US President Joe Biden welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House and promised him continued and unwavering US support.
“Our goal is not to turn the wheel of a military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war,” Putin said. “We will work to end it, and the sooner the better, of course.”
White House spokesman John Kirby said Putin had “shown absolutely no indication that he was prepared to negotiate” an end to the war, which began when Moscow sent troops to Ukraine on February 24.
“Quite the opposite,” Kirby told reporters during an online briefing. “Everything he (Putin) does on the ground and in the air testifies to a man who wants to continue to inflict violence on the Ukrainian people” and “escalate the war”.
Kirby said Biden was open to talks with Putin, but only after the Russian leader “showed seriousness about negotiations” and after consultations with Ukraine and its American allies.
Russia has consistently said it is open to negotiations, but Ukraine and its allies suspect a ploy to buy time after a string of Russian defeats and retreats tipped the momentum of the 10-month war into favor of Kyiv.
“I have said many times: escalation of hostilities leads to unjustified casualties,” Putin told reporters.
“All armed conflicts end in one way or another with some sort of negotiation on the diplomatic channel,” he added. “Sooner or later, all parties in conflict sit down and come to an agreement. The sooner that realization comes to those who oppose us, the better. We have never given up on that.”
Russia says it is Ukraine that refuses to talk. Kyiv says Russia must stop its attacks and give up all the territory it has seized.
Putin also downplayed the Patriot air defense system that Biden agreed to provide Zelenskiy, saying Russia would find a way to counter it.
He said it was “pretty old” and didn’t work like the Russian S-300 system. “An antidote will always be found,” he said, boasting that Russia would “break” the Patriots.
“So those who do it do it in vain. It only prolongs the conflict, that’s all.”
Putin also said that a price cap imposed on Russian oil by Western countries, designed to limit its ability to finance the war, would not harm the Russian economy. He said he would sign an executive order early next week outlining Russia’s response.
