"Highlighting individuals." Putin recalled the negotiations.

Discussions about the initiation of a peace process between Ukraine and Russia are ongoing. Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow is prepared to negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but allegedly does not consider him “legitimate” to sign a final peace agreement. In turn, Zelensky claimed that Putin once again confirmed his fear of negotiations and is doing everything possible to prolong the war.

Giving Up Donbas

“If he (Zelensky) wants to participate in the negotiations, I will appoint people who will conduct these talks,” said Putin.

Putin reiterated his belief that “Western sponsors” want to end the war and can pressure Ukraine to “resolve legal issues.”

The Russian president also stated that in the spring of 2022, he decided to withdraw Russian troops from Kyiv at the request of “some European leaders,” who told him that Ukraine could not sign a peace treaty “with a gun to its head.” However, Russia was “deceived,” and the leaders of Western countries “persuaded the Ukrainians to continue the war” instead of concluding a peace agreement.

Moreover, Putin claimed that in 2022, Russia allegedly offered Kyiv to leave Donbas. In his view, this would have played a crucial role and helped avoid a full-scale war.
However, after February 24, 2022, Putin did not rush to "liberate" the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which, according to him, allegedly did not want to be part of Ukraine, but instead decided to seize the northern and southern regions of Ukraine, as well as Kyiv.

Zelensky's Response

“In 2014, Russia began a hybrid war against Ukraine, which it escalated to a full-scale one in 2022. Now we see that there is a possibility to achieve real peace, but it is precisely Putin who is doing everything to continue killing on a large scale or to gain a pause in order to prepare for a new full-scale invasion with hybrid strikes,” responded Zelensky.

Zelensky also emphasized that the civilized world needs to act cohesively and decisively on this issue and do everything possible to restore “true peace.”

No Trust in Trump?

Kyiv and Washington have differing views on the prospects for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and both positions may be mistaken, according to Politico.

Currently, estimates from this influential publication suggest that Kyiv does not believe Trump can deliver a favorable deal and hopes that the American leader will become increasingly frustrated with the defiance of the Russian dictator. This, as Ukrainian officials speculate, will compel the U.S. president to provide more direct support to Kyiv. Ukraine believes that Putin will agree to nothing less than the capitulation of Ukraine, and this is a condition that negotiator Trump will try to avoid. Trump himself, as Politico suggested, likely believes he can persuade and intimidate Putin into achieving a “fair settlement.”