Says Ukraine is trying to create favourable conditions ahead of stalled peace talks
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with graduates of higher education institutions of the Defence Ministry, Emergencies Ministry, Federal Security Service, Federal Guard Service, National Guard, Interior Ministry, Investigative Committee and Federal Penitentiary Service in Moscow, Russia, June 23, 2026.PHOTO: REUTERS
President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was ready for negotiations with Ukraine based on the Anchorage and Istanbul agreements and realities on the ground.
Speaking at a meeting with government officials, Putin underlined that the negotiation process was interrupted at Ukraine’s initiative.
“Russia is ready for peace talks with Ukraine,” he said. “Based on the agreements reached in Istanbul, on the modalities discussed in Anchorage and most importantly, on the realities on the ground.”
Putin said Ukraine was trying to create favourable conditions for itself ahead of a possible resumption of stalled peace negotiations by carrying out attacks inside Russia.
Russia and Ukraine conducted three rounds of renewed peace talks last year in Istanbul — on May 16, June 2 and July 23 — which produced major prisoner swaps and draft memorandums outlining positions of both sides for a potential peace deal.
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The US and Russian presidents later met in Anchorage, a city in the US state of Alaska, which led to a 28-point peace plan, later revised to 20 points. Ukraine, however, is said to have rejected any territorial concessions.
Under US mediation, Moscow and Kyiv also held three rounds of peace talks earlier this year on Jan 23-24, Feb 4-5, and Feb 17-18. The first two were in Abu Dhabi, while the third took place in Geneva. But the process halted after the US-Israeli war on Iran.
In spring 2022, a draft peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine, agreed during in-person negotiations, was initialled in Istanbul.
