Putin Open To Peace Talks, Ukraine Lists Conditions To Resume Negotiations

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he is still open to engaging in peace talks with Ukraine amid the war, which has been raging on for more than four months.

In a speech to parliamentary leaders, Putin signaled the possibility of engaging in peace negotiations with Ukraine. However, he warned that the prospects of reaching an agreement would likely be harder the longer the war goes on.

“Everyone should know that, by and large, we haven’t started anything yet in earnest,” he was quoted as saying by Aljazeera. “At the same time, we don’t reject peace talks. But those who reject them should know that the further it goes, the harder it will be for them to negotiate with us.”

Ukraine has repeatedly spoken out about driving Russian soldiers out of the territory it has seized since 2014, including Crimea and Luhansk. Despite his country's goals, Ukraine’s chief negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said they are prepared to open a dialogue with Russia if certain conditions are met.

“Ceasefire. Z-troops withdrawal. Returning of kidnapped citizens. Extradition of war criminals. Reparations mechanism. Sovereign rights recognition...The Russian side knows our conditions well,” Podolyak wrote in a Twitter post published earlier this week.

During an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said he is willing to negotiate peace with Russia but reiterated that he will not surrender any territories to end the war.

"Ukrainians are not ready to give away their land, to accept that these territories belong to Russia. This is our land," Zelensky said.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has entered its fifth month, with both sides showing no signs of backing down any time soon. Russia initially aimed to take over the capital city of Kyiv. However, a fierce defense by Ukraine forced Russian troops to retreat and instead focus on taking territory in the eastern part of the country.

As of Thursday, Russian forces have taken over most of the Luhansk province, which together with Donetsk makes up the Donbas region. Russian forces have now shifted their focus to Donetsk where the Ukrainian army still holds half of the territory.