Russian dictator Vladimir Putin broke silence on Friday (1st) and positively evaluated the third round of peace negotiations with Ukraine, but did not respond to the ten-day ultimatum that US President Donald Trump gave him to end the war.
“In general, positively evaluated (the third round of Istanbul). How can you not positively evaluate the fact that hundreds of people have returned to their homeland?” Putin told Russian public television station alluding to the exchange of prisoners agreed with Kiev during his visit to the Valaam monastery in Northwest Russia.
Putin, who has not made any reference to Trump’s ultimatum since July 14, said Kiev positively reacted to the Russian proposal to create three political, military and humanitarian working groups that would operate over the internet.
“We need lasting and solid peace with a good base that satisfies Russia and Ukraine, and that ensures the security of both countries,” said the dictator, expressing his confidence that these groups start working as soon as possible, far from cameras.
At the same time, Putin referred to alleged statements by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that it is not worth talking to Moscow and that there must be “there will be a change of regime.”
“In principle, it is possible to wait. If the leaders of Ukraine consider that it is not the time now and that now we need to wait. What you say, we are willing to wait,” he said.
Putin speaks of military advance in Ukraine
As for the situation in the front of the battle, he insisted that Russian troops advance “throughout the front line, all over, also in the border zone and Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizehzya and Kherson.”
In addition, he spoke of the socket “several days ago” from the strategic bastion of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk, which was categorically denied by Zelensky.
Following Putin on the visit to the monastery, Belarus’s dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko, in turn, commented on Trump’s ultimatum, who recommended that “if you want peace, you should walk with caution when adding to the agreement. Giving orders does not work.”
Trump reported on Thursday (31) that his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Russia for consultations with Russian leaders after his visit on Friday to the Gaza Strip.
Trump reduced this week to ten days the deadline Kremlin has to cease hostilities in Ukraine, under penalty of sanctions and secondary tariffs. The deadline wins on August 7.
