Days after the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US is “always open” to talks with Russia, it has emerged that Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly looking for ways to engage with the United States.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Jan 17 had said that while Washington is always open for talks, “in this moment”, he doesn’t see it happening.
“There has to be a willingness on the part of Russia to engage, to negotiate in good faith, based on the basic principles that have been challenged by its aggression — territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence,” Blinken said.
According to a report in Bloomberg, Putin has indicated to Washington through indirect channels that he is open to discussion. The discussions may potentially include future security arrangements for Ukraine, the publication cited two people close to the Kremlin as saying.
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As the Russia-Ukraine war heads into its third year, the US officials cited by Bloomberg said they are not aware of Moscow’s supposed overtures for a conclusive end of the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s past efforts to end war in Ukraine
In June 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of signing a peace treaty with Russia to end the ongoing war and throwing it into the ‘garbage of history’ shortly after that in the spring of 2022 during the initial weeks of war in Ukraine.
Putin’s comments came during a meeting with the leaders of African Union spearheaded by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at St. Petersberg’s historic Konstantinovsky Palace in June 2023.
Turkey hosted a series of negotiations starting in the spring of 2022 to help develop “trust” between the two warring sides.
Ukraine under President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to recapture lost territories and has expressed unwillingness to end the war with nothing short of full withdrawal by Russian forces as per the status quo before February 2022.
What amends for peace Putin is reportedly willing to make this time?
Putin, according to Kremlin insiders cited by Bloomberg, may be willing to consider dropping an insistence on neutral status for Ukraine and “even ultimately abandon opposition to eventual NATO membership”. This, the report added, may potentially come once Ukraine gives up the claim on Ukrainian land captured by Russian forces since February 2022.
In a televised address right before launching war on Ukraine in February 2022, Putin had reasoned NATO’s eastward expansion towards Russia’s borders as one of the defining reasons behind the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
“We are unaware of the shifts in Russia’s position described,” US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.
“It will be up to Ukraine to decide whether, when, and how to negotiate with Russia.”
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
