During a conversation with Western journalists on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to end the war in Ukraine and also engage in dialogue with Europe. However, according to him, only neutral persons or parties “who can be trusted” can serve as mediators. Putin excluded Germany from this mediatory role.
He criticized Germany and Europe for supplying Ukraine with weapons, calling them non-neutral. “Mediation requires neutrality. Where is the neutrality here?” the Kremlin leader asked. According to Putin, anyone who wants to act as a mediator must enjoy the trust of both sides in the conflict. “How can Russia trust people who have been saying for years that Russia should be inflicted with a strategic defeat?” he said.
Putin insisted on his demand for full Russian control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a precondition for achieving peace in Ukraine. According to him, this demand does not contradict the declared readiness for dialogue. Putin emphasized that “we are definitely ready to reach an agreement with Ukraine!” However, according to the Kremlin leader, the basis for such an agreement are the agreements reached in Anchorage. He added that if the Ukrainian side also agrees to these agreements, which he did not specify further, the conflict could end quickly.
US President Donald Trump met with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, last summer. However, no concrete results were made public after that meeting.
"We are fully ready and determined to reach an agreement with Ukraine peacefully," Putin declared. He also spoke about the possibility of Ukraine joining the European Union. According to him, Russia has nothing against the idea of an associated membership of Ukraine in the EU, a proposal that, according to Putin, has also been mentioned by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Moscow, he said, is not opposed to economic ties and integration with the European continent. "We are against the European Union turning into a military bloc," Putin declared, adding that such a development raises concerns in Russia./DW/
