Vladimir Putin expressed Russia‘s readiness to engage in peace negotiations with Ukraine, based on the agreements previously reached in Istanbul, during a meeting with government members. Specifically, as the Russian president stated, “Moscow, as has been said repeatedly, is ready for peace negotiations with Ukraine, ready on the basis of the agreements reached in Istanbul.”
According to the same statement, those specific agreements had been put on the table during negotiations held in Istanbul and had, as the Russian president argued, been accepted by the Ukrainian side at the time. “I see no reason to deviate from these agreements,” he noted. Earlier, Putin stated that Ukraine is attacking non-military infrastructure in Russia in an attempt to destabilize society.
Putin sees no ground for direct talks with Zelensky
Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries have doubled since the beginning of 2026, resulting in long queues and rising fuel prices in certain regions. Kyiv has stated that its goal is to drain a key source of funding for Russia’s war effort and to show Russians that the conflict is no longer something distant.
Speaking to graduates of military academies and security service schools, the Russian president said he sees no ground for direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, given what he described as Kyiv’s ongoing attacks against civilian targets.
