“We have always said that we are open (to negotiations with Ukraine. -
RT
),” he said at a press conference in Astana.
Putin added that the parties reached some agreements in Istanbul, which were "almost initialed."
The Russian leader also said that the desire of the Ukrainian authorities to negotiate disappeared after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiv.
“If they mature before that, please, then, probably, the mediation efforts of everyone who is interested in this will be in demand,” Putin stressed.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he did not want to engage in dialogue with the Russian authorities regarding the settlement of the situation in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the US statement that Russia is refusing to negotiate a lie.