Russian President Vladimir Putin made a series of statements regarding the situation in Ukraine, relations with the West, and the international agenda at a press conference held in Beijing.
AZERTAC reports that the Russian leader proposed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky come to Moscow if he is ready for a meeting. At the same time, he emphasized that Russia has never raised the issue of providing security guarantees to Ukraine in exchange for territories on the agenda.
The President recalled that Moscow's attempts to resolve the Ukraine crisis peacefully were disrupted due to the disregard of Russia's security interests. He stated that territorial issues can be resolved through a referendum in Ukraine, but for this, the military situation must first be eliminated. After the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiv in 2022, the Ukrainian side decided to continue the fighting.
The head of state expressed satisfaction with Vladimir Medinsky's work as the head of the negotiation group and said that Moscow is ready to raise the level of negotiations. Vladimir Putin also said he sees a "light at the end of the tunnel" in resolving the Ukraine conflict and emphasized that most Russian soldiers are determined to achieve the objectives of the special operation. "It is better to achieve the goals through peaceful means," he added.
The Russian President also noted that if a peaceful resolution is not possible, Moscow will be forced to achieve its objectives by military means.
Commenting on a possible meeting with US President Donald Trump in Moscow, V. Putin said that no preparations are being made for the meeting and the date is unknown, but the American leader has been invited to Moscow.
Touching upon the topic of international relations, the Russian President emphasized that "the contours of a multipolar world have already been formed." However, multipolarity does not mean the emergence of new hegemons. All countries should have equal rights.
