The Russian president stated that the US president’s proposals to end the war in Ukraine could serve as a basis for future agreements, but that there is still no final version of the plan, at the same time that he signaled openness to negotiations.
“We generally agree that this can form the basis for future agreements,” Putin said Thursday during a news conference in Kyrgyzstan following the Collective Security Treaty Organization summit. “But it would be impolite of me to talk about final versions now. They don’t exist.”
The Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday that US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Moscow next week to meet with Putin, as Trump continues his attempt to resolve the nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Trump said Tuesday that there had been “tremendous progress” over the past week on his peace proposal, the original draft of which drew criticism from Ukrainians and Europeans.
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Putin said that, to his knowledge, the 28-point plan was reorganized into four parts by Ukraine and the US during negotiations in Geneva, and that this could serve as a basis for talks. The US and Ukraine said the plan was rewritten to contain 19 points.
“In general, we see that the American side takes into account our position, which was discussed before and after Anchorage and Alaska,” Putin said. “We absolutely need to sit down somewhere and seriously discuss some specific issues. We need to put everything in diplomatic language.”
Putin also defended Witkoff after a report by Bloomberg News report that the US envoy advised Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov in an October 14 phone call on how the Russian leader should approach the issue of the peace plan with Trump. He called Witkoff intelligent and educated, and defended the conversation between the two aides.
“Mr. Witkoff is apparently coming to Moscow on orders from President Trump to hold negotiations with us,” he said. “It would be surprising if, when talking to Ushakov, he swore at us.” He said Witkoff is trying to restore relations between the US and Russia.
Recent US sanctions against Russia’s main oil producers indicate that Americans still defend their own interests, according to Putin.
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