Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that all proposals aimed at ending the war in Ukraine remain under consideration, but stressed that Moscow must carefully assess Russia’s interests before deciding on its next steps.
Speaking to journalists in St. Petersburg on Friday, September 25, Putin said Russia had been prepared to resume negotiations with Ukraine following Russia’s parliamentary elections. However, he accused Ukraine of carrying out attacks on Moscow and Russian polling stations.
Putin described the alleged attacks as provocative and said Russia would respond.
“They are the ones who started it. Everywhere, on every front,” Putin said in remarks broadcast on Russian television.
He added that Russia’s retaliatory strikes were intended to make Ukraine understand that attempts to escalate the situation would not produce the desired outcome.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets were a response to Russian strikes against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. He has also called for direct negotiations with Moscow to end the war.
Putin said proposals for a ceasefire and renewed peace talks remained possible, but Russia would first consider what action would best serve its interests.
“All of it is on the table. Everything is possible,” Putin said, while adding that Moscow would carefully consider its response to Ukraine’s recent actions.
The comments came after renewed Russian and Ukrainian attacks. Reuters reported that Russian forces have continued striking Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles, while Ukraine has targeted Russian facilities, particularly oil infrastructure and retail outlets, some located as far as 3,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
A Russian air strike on Kyiv on Friday reportedly killed seven people.
Putin also accused Ukraine of launching mass attacks on St. Petersburg during an international conference in June and on Moscow during Russia’s parliamentary elections. He claimed that Ukrainian forces had attacked polling stations, killing one election official and injuring others.
Meanwhile, Putin welcomed any “agreement of a positive nature” between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping following their talks in Washington.
He also said his participation in the upcoming APEC summit in China would depend on developments inside Russia.
Tags
World News