Putin states readiness for negotiations based on Istanbul agreements

Russia is ready for peace talks with Ukraine based on the Istanbul agreements, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"Russia, as has been said more than once, is ready for peace negotiations with Ukraine. It is ready on the basis of the agreements that were reached in Istanbul and were initialed by the Ukrainian delegation. This means that everything suited them," Putin said during a meeting with members of the Russian government.

"I see no grounds to deviate from these agreements on our part," he noted.

The president also said that negotiations with Kiev should take into account the agreements reached in Anchorage and the realities on the ground in the special military operation zone.

"Based on the agreements reached in Istanbul, on the basis of the modalities discussed in Anchorage, and the realities on the ground. And also (based on) the principle set out by me a couple of years ago during a speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry," Putin said.

"We will proceed from what is. We will continue to move confidently in all directions, ensuring the security of our citizens. We will resolve issues of an economic nature on the scale of the country and regions of the Russian Federation, relying on what is happening in our country in the field of stabilizing the economy, public finances and strengthening the Russian Armed Forces," the president concluded.

Source: Interfax