Putin reaffirms Russia's willingness for talks with Ukraine

YEREVAN, 5 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again reiterated Moscow's readiness for talks with Kiev.

"I have said it more than once that Russia is not just ready for talks but has already held such talks at a certain point, specifically at the very beginning of this conflict," he stated during a ceremony of receiving credentials from foreign ambassadors. "Those talks even resulted in a mutually acceptable treaty, which was initialed by the Ukrainian side."

"But the Ukrainian side rejected that treaty on the advice of external parties, as confirmed by Ukrainian officials," Tass quoted President Putin as saying.

Nearly three hours of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on March 29, 2022, yielded principles for a potential agreement, including Ukraine's commitment to maintain a neutral, non-aligned status and its pledge to refrain from deploying foreign weapons, including nuclear weapons, on its territory.

According to Tass, however, after Russia withdrew its forces from the Kiev and Chernigov regions, the settlement talks were frozen. According to President Putin, Kiev rejected the agreements. The Ukrainian side has claimed that the rejection was made on the advice of then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.