Putin: Russia does not avoid negotiations with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has given indications of his willingness to negotiate about 10 months after the start of the war against Ukraine.

"All armed conflicts end with negotiations, and Russia has never avoided this, unlike Ukraine," he said at a news conference in Yekaterinburg on Thursday.

He also stated that the Ukrainian leadership excluded itself from the talks.

"The sooner Kyiv realizes that talks are necessary, the better," he added.

In contrast to Kyiv, Russia wants to negotiate on the basis of the current status of the front and regards the annexed areas as Russian territory.

Kyiv does not want to start negotiations until all Russian soldiers withdraw from Ukrainian regions, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Russia and Ukraine had held a series of talks in Belarus and Turkey after the outbreak of the war, but they did not lead to a tangible result because of each party's adherence to its demands.

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