In a notable shift in tone, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly expressed a willingness to engage in peace talks to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.
During a virtual G20 meeting, Putin acknowledged the “tragedy” of the war and called for a resolution to the conflict.
Both sides have lost thousands of soldiers on top of the many civilian deaths in Ukraine.
Putin is reportedly poised to use his speech at an upcoming G20 meeting to urge world leaders to work out a strategy for ending the war.
“Of course, military actions are always a tragedy,” Putin remarked. “And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy.”
However, Putin also placed the blame for the continued fighting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, asserting that Russia has consistently been open to negotiations.
“By the way, Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine,” Putin stated.
His comments represent a departure from the Kremlin’s previous stance, which has largely focused on blaming NATO and the West for the conflict. This shift in rhetoric suggests a potential softening of Putin’s position and a possible willingness to negotiate a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky has maintained a firm stance, reiterating the need for Russia to withdraw all its forces from Ukrainian territory before any meaningful peace talks can take place.
“We are ready for a diplomatic solution, but it can’t be at the expense of our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zelensky emphasized.
The international community has welcomed Putin’s expressed openness to peace talks while urging both sides to engage in genuine negotiations to bring an end to the war.
During a virtual meeting Tuesday of leaders and top diplomats from the BRICS bloc of developing countries, Putin said there was a “humanitarian catastrophe” unfolding in Gaza and it was “shocking to watch how surgeries are performed on children without anesthesia.”
The BRICS bloc was formed in 2009 by the emerging market countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, and South Africa joined the following year. Saudi Arabia is one of more than 20 countries to have applied to join BRICS in another possible expansion, South African officials say.
Any move toward the inclusion of the world’s second-biggest oil producer in an economic bloc with Russia and China would clearly draw attention from the United States and its allies in an extra-frosty geopolitical climate, and amid a recent move by Beijing to exert some influence in the Persian Gulf.
He again blamed the crisis on what he called failed diplomacy by the United States.
“All these events, in fact, are a direct consequence of the U.S. desire to monopolize mediation functions in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement,” said Putin, appearing on teleconference from the Kremlin.
Putin appeared on a video link because the Russian President’s travel to South Africa would be complicated by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him over the war in Ukraine.
He called for a cease-fire in Gaza, the freeing of hostages and the evacuation of civilians from the Gaza Strip.