It agrees that the plan for it can be used as a basis for discussion and does not plan to attack Europe, the Russian president asserted in his statements.
The plan points will be discussed one by one
“In general, we agree that this can be the basis for future agreements,” Putin said, adding that the version of the plan discussed by the United States and Ukraine in Geneva had been forwarded to Russia. As he pointed out, the proposals of the plan should be processed and formulated in “diplomatic language” because some formulations in the form the plan has so far are at least “funny”. To do this, all points of the plan should be discussed one by one.
“Nonsense” that Witkov is pro-Russian
Commenting on the latest revelations about Steve Witkov’s contacts with Yuri Usakov and the criticism the US envoy has received for his close relations with the Russian side, the Russian president dismissed the claim that Witkov has shown bias in favor of Moscow in the Ukraine peace talks as nonsense. As he noted, it would be surprising if Witkov launched obscene insults against Russia during the conversation.
“This is nonsense,” Putin argued, describing Witkov as a US citizen defending his country’s interests.
Russia will not attack Europe
Among other things, Putin claimed that “it is ridiculous” to say that Russia wants to attack Europe, while he acknowledged that the US is taking into account Russia’s positions on the issue. Among other things, Putin asserted that he is ready to discuss European security issues, but also about the Russian-American strategic balance of power.
According to him, the Russian side is ready for “serious” negotiations and for this reason expects the American delegation in Moscow next week. As he pointed out, he was surprised by the sanctions imposed by the US on Russian oil companies and argued that the sanctions are destroying the relations between the two sides.
The United States last month imposed the toughest sanctions ever on Russia’s energy sector, targeting Russia’s biggest oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil.
The pace of our advance in Ukraine is increasing
As for what is happening on the ground, following his remarks, the Russian president claimed that once Ukrainian troops withdraw from their positions in key areas, then the fighting will stop, but if they don’t, then Russian forces will achieve their goals by force. He added that the pace of Russia’s advance in all directions is “noticeably increasing”.
According to him, Russia is ready to come to an agreement with Ukraine, but this is currently legally impossible, since the government of Kiev lacks this legalization. As he said, all decisions should have clear international recognition. Following his statement, in response to a journalist’s question, Putin argued that one of the main points that should be discussed with the US is that the plan provides de facto recognition of the Russian occupation of Donbas, and not de jure.
Answers on frozen Russian funds, nuclear tests and Lavrov
The Russian president also warned that any move to seize Russian assets would constitute “property theft” and would have a negative impact on the global financial system.
The Russian president also said Russia is ready to discuss strategic stability with the United States, including issues related to nuclear testing. He added that Moscow should be prepared for any developments in this area.
Vladimir Putin dismissed Western media speculation that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has fallen out of favor with the Kremlin.
Lavrov, 75, a veteran Soviet-era diplomat known for his forceful negotiating style, was absent from a major Kremlin meeting earlier this month that he usually attends, and Putin picked someone else to attend the G20 summit in South Africa, a role Lavrov has filled in the past.
