Russian President Vladimir Putin said through diplomatic channels that he is ready for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The New York Times wrote about this on Saturday, December 23, citing two former high-ranking Russian officials close to the Kremlin, as well as officials from the United States and other countries familiar with the Kremlin’s message. According to them, Moscow has been sending such signals since at least September. SIA refers to Russian websites about this.
… At the same time, Putin makes it clear that he is ready to freeze military operations only in the current positions.
The interlocutor of the publication from the Russian Federation also said that Putin does not want to retreat even a meter.
It should be recalled that last autumn, a high-ranking international official who met with Russian representatives said that the Russian side is “ready for negotiations on a ceasefire”, but on the condition that it “remains where it is on the battlefield”…
According to American officials, the Russian president gave similar signals in the fall of 2022, after the Ukrainian army liberated territories in a number of regions. According to them, the Kremlin has made it clear that it is ready for a ceasefire if Russia keeps the territories it has captured.
Some US officials say the Kremlin’s non-public messages may be an attempt by Moscow to confuse and do not reflect Putin’s genuine willingness to compromise. The Kremlin “may change its mind again” if the Russian army “picks up speed”.
Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of refusing dialogue. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly noted that in order to start peace talks with Moscow, it is necessary to unconditionally fulfill the counter-requirements of Ukraine, as a country subjected to aggression.
The main condition for this is the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Kiev considers the withdrawal of Russian troops to the 1991 borders a necessary condition for concluding peace.
It should be noted that in March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the arrest of Vladimir Putin, as well as Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation. They are suspected of war crimes, especially the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. But Moscow denies its involvement in war crimes committed in Ukraine after Russia’s military occupation.
By the way, Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and does not participate in its work. After the decision of the Hague court, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia searched for the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, and the three judges who issued the warrant for the arrest of the Russian leader.
Agasaf Babayev
