Putin Proposes Ukraine Ceasefire Talks to the US

Bloomberg Reports Citing Russian Sources... US Officials Deny

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly inquired through unofficial channels whether the U.S. government is willing to engage in talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Putin Attends Annual Press Conference [Image Source=Yonhap News]

Bloomberg News reported on the 25th (local time), citing multiple sources close to the Kremlin, that President Putin sent signals last month through intermediaries to senior U.S. government officials indicating openness to related discussions.

These anonymous sources said that President Putin might be willing to consider dropping the demand for Ukraine's neutralization.

They even emphasized that while there might ultimately be room to withdraw opposition to Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Russian government would require recognition of its control over the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces.

Since invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian forces currently occupy 18% of Ukrainian territory and remain in confrontation with Ukrainian troops.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said, "President Putin has repeatedly stated that he is open to negotiations regarding Ukraine," adding, "We prefer to achieve our objectives diplomatically, but if not, military operations will continue until the objectives are met."

However, U.S. government officials have outright denied claims that such messages were conveyed from the Russian side.

Adrian Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council (NSC), said, "We are not aware of any change in Russia's position," and added, "Whether, when, and how to negotiate with Russia depends on Ukraine's decision."

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