Vladimir Putin has claimed he is willing to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky but only for a “final phase” of talks.
He told international news outlets in St Petersburg that he would only join the talks to finally “put an end” to the conflict.
Putin is said to have expressed a desire to end the war, and it is not the first time or the last. According to Western supporters of Ukraine and his appeal to Donald Trump, he is merely trying to pass the time while continuing to relentlessly bomb Ukraine. A rise in Russian aerial attacks has resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians in Ukraine over the past few weeks. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said this morning it had been 100 days of Russia “manipulating … opportunities to end the war”, referencing Kyiv’s acceptance of a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire back in March and Moscow’s refusal to agree to it.
Mr. Sybiha wrote on X, “100 days of Russia escalating terror against Ukraine rather than ending it. 100 days of Russia manipulated and missed opportunities to end the war.”
