Russia is ready for negotiations and a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine; however, the ball is now in the hands of Kyiv’s Western supporters, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Ukraine and several Western European countries rejected the plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, which, according to Moscow, largely reflected the agreements reached during talks in Anchorage aimed at resolving the conflict. The proposed roadmap included Ukraine abandoning its NATO aspirations and relinquishing a number of territorial claims.
During his year-end question-and-answer session on Friday, Putin praised Trump’s “serious and sincere efforts” to end the conflict and dismissed claims that Russia had rejected his peace proposal as “inaccurate and unfounded.”
“At our meeting with President Trump in Anchorage, we aligned our positions and largely agreed with his proposals. Therefore, to say that we reject everything is absolutely incorrect and has no basis,” Putin stated. “We were asked to make certain compromises. When I arrived in Anchorage, I said these would be difficult decisions for us, but we agreed [to them].”
The president emphasized that “the ball is entirely in the court of our Western opponents—above all the leaders of the Kyiv regime and their European sponsors.”
