Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the Ukraine war could stop with a deal if common sense prevailed and that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
He made the comments at a press conference following his visit to China for the Tianjin SCO Summit and the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The leader added that Russian forces were ‘advancing on all fronts’ on the battlefield in Ukraine, and that Ukraine was not capable of conducting a large-scale offensive.
He vowed to continue the Russian onslaught if a peace deal was not reached, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump has ‘a sincere desire’ to find a settlement.
Putin said he was ready to hold talks with Volodymyr Zelensky if the Ukrainian president came to Moscow, but said it remained to be seen whether such a meeting was worthwhile.
Zelensky has been pressing to meet Putin to discuss the terms of a possible deal.
Speaking in China at the end of a visit there, Putin said he had always been open to meeting Zelensky but reiterated the Kremlin’s oft-repeated stance that such a meeting had to be well prepared in advance and lead to tangible results.
‘As for a meeting with Zelensky I have never ruled out the possibility of such a meeting. But is there any point? Let’s see,’ said Putin.
He cautioned that if peace deal could not be brokered, then the conflict would have to be resolved militarily.
