Published: November 22, 2023 2:03 pm
Author: RT
Any conflict is a tragedy and efforts must be made to end it, the Russian president told the G20 leaders via video link
Russia has never rejected peace talks with Ukraine, whereas Kiev has publicly withdrawn from the negotiation process, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during an online address to an extraordinary G20 summit on Wednesday.
Speaking via video link, the Russian leader responded to comments made by other speakers of the conference who said they were “shocked” by Russia’s continued “aggression” in Ukraine. Putin admitted that the conflict in Ukraine, like any military conflict, is a “tragedy for specific people, specific families and for the country as a whole” and stated that “naturally, we must think about how to end this tragedy.”
However, Putin stressed that Russia has never turned down any peace talks with Ukraine and that it was in fact Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky who signed a decree legally forbidding any such negotiations with Russia. Last year, the Ukrainian leader formally outlawed any peace talks with the Kremlin as long as Putin is the president of Russia.
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