Speaking with the Turkish president, Vladimir Putin blamed Kiev for the breakdown of the previous round of talks brokered by Ankara
Türkiye is ready to once again bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table, the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced on Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, pointed the finger at Kiev for the failure of previous peace efforts.
Speaking during a meeting between the two leaders in Sochi, Russia, Erdogan said that his country “previously hosted direct talks between the [opposing] sides in the conflict,” as quoted by TASS. He went on to stress that Ankara is “ready to do all within its power on the issue and act as a mediator.”
Putin, for his part, noted that while “agreements had been made with the Turkish president’s mediation [and] draft documents agreed between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations” last spring, Kiev eventually “sent them to the dump.” Commenting on the peace initiatives that have been proposed since, the Russian head of state pointed out that none of them have been discussed with Moscow.
Putin concluded by saying that Russia has never refused any mediation efforts, including those by China, African nations, and Türkiye.
The two presidents discussed a range of topics, including further developing bilateral relations and the Black Sea grain initiative, which Russia pulled out of in July.
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