Putin: ready to meet Zelensky, but at the end of negotiations
The Russian leader does not see NATO rearmament as a 'threat' to Moscow and claims that with Trump as US president the conflict would not have erupted
3' min read
3' min read
Russian President Vladimir Putin returned to talk all-out about Ukraine but also about the current crisis between Israel and Iran in a late-night meeting with international news agencies. Regarding the latter conflict, the Russian president said that Moscow is continuing its contacts with Iran, Israel and US President Donald Trump, and believes that a solution to the conflict can be reached that guarantees the interests of both Iran and Israel, reiterating that Russia wants to mediate in order to find a solution to the issue and stating that it has already presented to its 'partners' the options that in its opinion can guarantee Iranian interests in the area of peaceful nuclear energy and alleviate Israel's concerns. The Russian leader also added that Iran has not asked Moscow for military assistance.
On the subject of the conflict in Ukraine, however, Putin also said he was ready to talk to Volodimir Zelensky but only in the final phase of negotiations to 'end' the conflict, the Interfax news agency reports. The Kremlin chief, however, questions - as always, moreover - the legitimacy of the Ukrainian president, whose term of office expired in May 2024 without elections being held due to martial law. At the same time, Putin returned to calling certain regions of Ukraine invaded by Kremlin troops 'an integral part of the Russian Federation'. Putin's words, quoted by Tass, appear to refer to Crimea, which Russia de facto annexed by force in 2014, and the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which are partly occupied by Russian soldiers. The Kremlin leader also claims that Russian forces in Ukraine have "a strategic advantage in all directions" and are "advancing along the entire line of contact". "If we fail to reach a peaceful agreement, we will achieve our goals militarily," Putin further stated.
On relations with Germany, Putin said Moscow was open to possible contacts with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, although he doubted that Berlin could make "a greater contribution than the US as a mediator in negotiations with Ukraine". "We currently regard the Federal Republic, like many other European countries, not as a neutral state, but as a party supporting Ukraine," the Russian president said. Putin - according to Tass - also said that Russia is open to resuming contacts with "the European partners", which he accused of breaking off when - according to his version - they decided to inflict a strategic defeat on Moscow on the battlefield.
The NATO rearmament, finally, is not a threat to Russia, Putin argued, because, in his view, Moscow possesses the necessary defensive capabilities to deal with it, after more than three years of conflict in Ukraine that militarised the Russian state.
The Atlantic Alliance, which is scheduled to meet for a summit next week in The Hague, the Netherlands, is pushing its members to increase security spending in the context of the conflict in Ukraine, triggered by the 2022 Russian attack on its neighbour.
