Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped for further peace talks with Ukraine – but insisted that his soldiers were “proceeding on the entire front line”, despite the threat of US sanctions if a ceasefire was not agreed.
Putin said, “All disappointments arise from the expectations,” Putin said, not to end the war with the Russian leader in a clear context of Trump’s “disappointment”.
One day after One of the deadliest Russian aerial attacks on KyivHe repeated his demands for the recognition of Ukrainian neutrality and occupation areas, which Ukraine sees as a captilation.
Ukrainian President Volodimier Zelansky said he was ready to meet Putin at any time “.
Speaking on Friday at the Valam Math on an island in North-Western Russia, Putin said that he is expected to continue the conversation with Ukraine, saying that he “saw the conversation positively”.
But in a veil context to agree to a long -term ceasefire for increasing pressure from Ukraine and its western colleagues, he said: “For any disappointment from anyone, all disappointments arise from puffed expectations.
“Our enemies and sick-enemies … now there is a fierce passion: to stop our advances [on the front line in Ukraine] At any cost “.
Ukraine and his colleagues have repeatedly accused Russia of preventing peace talks and rejecting any meaningful ceasefire, saying that Moscow is trying to seize more Ukrainian regions.
Three rounds of Russia-Ukraine in Istanbul, Türkiye, in recent months, ended without any major success. However, the two sides agreed to swap many thousands of prisoners of the war.
Speaking immediately after Putin’s comments, Zelancesi questioned whether Russia “was showing serious readiness to end the war with dignity and really establish permanent peace” or whether it was an attempt to buy more time to postpone war and restrictions “.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its deadly drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
On Thursday, at least 31 people – which included five children – were killed in a Russian air strike in the Ukrainian capital.
US President Donald Trump condemned Russia’s works threatening new sanctions.
“Russia, I think it’s disgusting what they are doing,” he told reporters.
Putin did not react when Trump announced its original 50-day time limit for Russia to end the war in July. When he was reduced by 10-12 days, Putin did not say anything.
But on Friday, the Kremlin leader left a little doubt that he would not be washed away by the ultimatum of the White House.
Trump may claim to be “disappointed” with Putin, but not to create peace – but the Russian leader is ineffective.
His guests on the Valam Island, Belarus’ ruling leader Alexander Luakshhenko, were more directly in dismissing Trump’s deadline.
“50 days, 60 days, 10 days. You don’t do this kind of politics,” Lakashnco said.
Experience shows that, for Trump, the time limit is not set in the stone. But on paper, at least, their latest deadline ends on 8 August.
If until then Russia has not signed up for a ceasefire in Ukraine, it will face more restrictions – so in theory there will be in countries that buy Russian oil.
But given what the Russian state media is saying in recent times, many people in Moscow suspect that the White House will go through their threat to hard restrictions.
What’s more, Putin said about Russia with the entire front line in Ukraine on Friday, he clearly believes that a ceasefire is no longer in Moscow’s best interest.
Ukrainian officials said on Friday that Kiev had received “positive signs” from the US about potentially new sanctions.
A day earlier, senior American diplomat John Kelly told the United Nations Security Council that Russia and Ukraine “should talk about a ceasefire and sustainable peace”.
“It’s time to make a deal,” he said.
The US President earlier this week said that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witcoff, who is currently in Israel, will visit Russia. He did not give any further details.
