Putin is serious about negotiating peace in Ukraine: Kremlin

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was serious about negotiating a settlement to end the war in Ukraine as high-level talks began in Saudi Arabia, and that Russia would prefer to achieve all its aims peacefully.

Putin sent Russia's army into Ukraine in 2022. He has repeatedly said he is ready to discuss an end to the war that reflects the reality on the ground, where advancing Russian forces now control nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory.

Western intelligence, European leaders and former U.S. president Joe Biden have repeatedly asserted that they do not think Putin really wants peace, though U.S. President Donald Trump says he does think Putin is serious.

"President Putin has been repeating his words about his readiness for peace talks from the very beginning," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. And, of course, we prefer peaceful means to achieve our goals."

Peskov said there was no understanding yet about a date for a meeting between Putin and Trump, though the Riyadh talks might bring clarity. It was, he said, impossible to give any sense of the talks as they had only just begun.



Reuters