Putin Holds Talks with UN Secretary-General... The '5m Table' Appears Again

"Emphasizing Expectations for Negotiations with Ukraine to End the Conflict"
Lasted About an Hour at the Kremlin Palace
Conscious of COVID-19... Meeting at a Long Table Where Leaders of Various Countries Sat

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] On the 26th (local time), Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres, who visited Moscow, that he still holds expectations for negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict. The meeting, which lasted about an hour, drew attention as it was held at a 5-meter-long table inside the Kremlin Palace.

According to local media including Russia's TASS news agency, President Putin said at the meeting, "Although military operations are ongoing in Ukraine, we still hope to reach an agreement through diplomatic channels," emphasizing, "We do not refuse negotiations."

President Putin went on to blame the lack of progress in negotiations on the Ukrainian side, saying, "They have retreated from their original intentions and excluded issues such as Crimea, Sevastopol (a special city within Crimea), and the Donbas republics from the discussion." He also added, "However, negotiations are continuing online, and we hope for positive results." Regarding the Bucha incident in Ukraine, which resulted in a large number of casualties, he claimed that Russian forces were not involved.

Secretary-General Guterres stated, "We are not participants in the negotiations, but we support dialogue between the two countries and endorse Turkey's goodwill in advancing this approach." Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an reportedly proposed to President Putin the prompt holding of a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The meeting between President Putin and Secretary-General Guterres reportedly lasted about an hour at the Kremlin Palace. Notably, the meeting took place while seated at the 5-meter-long table that drew attention during the meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron last February.

At that time, the distance between the leaders was considered too far for a meeting, leading to jokes calling it the "curling table" or "seesaw table," and it became a popular meme. Subsequently, Western media analyzed that Russia made this choice out of concern over the spread of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.