Putin says he is ready to negotiate and compromise with Ukraine

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is prepared to negotiate and compromise with Ukraine and complained that "the other side" – meaning Ukraine – is refusing to reach an agreement.

Source: Vladimir Putin during a press conference on 19 December

Quote from Putin: "We have always said we are ready to negotiate and compromise. The other side has refused to negotiate, but we are always ready to negotiate. And compromise is always an outcome of negotiations.

We did in fact reach an agreement in Istanbul in late 2022. And I repeat for the hundredth time, the Ukrainian side initialled this document and generally agreed with it. And then for some reason they refused, because your ally Johnson [former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson – ed.] came and said that they had to fight to the last Ukrainian…

We are ready, but we need the other side to also be ready to negotiate and to compromise."

Background:

• On 8 December, US President-elect Donald Trump said that Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness.
• On 12 December, Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, said he believes that Ukraine is not ready to begin negotiations with Russia due to a lack of weapons, a NATO invitation, and clear security guarantees.
• In April 2022, Russia effectively derailed peace talks with Ukraine by including a clause in the draft treaty stating that it would have a veto over the international community’s response in the event of a repeat attack on Ukraine.

Read more: From Zelenskyy's "surrender" to Putin's surrender: how the negotiations with Russia are going

Read more: Before and after the counteroffensive: Are there perspectives in peace negotiations with Russia?

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