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MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposed peace talks with Ukraine will take into account an abandoned 2022 draft deal between the two countries and the reality of Russia's control over almost a fifth of Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Sunday.
Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine aimed at bringing a durable peace to end the war, an initiative welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who said Kyiv was willing to talk but that Moscow must first agree to an immediate ceasefire.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after Putin's early-morning statement that the proposed talks would take into account both the draft abandoned in 2022 and the current situation on the ground.
Days after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine began talks in Belarus that later moved to Istanbul. A draft agreed there setting out a framework for a possible settlement became known as the "Istanbul Communique".
The talks broke off in May, but Russian officials have long argued that a settlement can be reached along the lines of the Istanbul Communique. Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, has also referred to the 2022 draft as a possible guide to future peace.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after Putin's early-morning statement that the proposed talks would take into account both the draft abandoned in 2022 and the current situation on the ground.
Days after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine began talks in Belarus that later moved to Istanbul. A draft agreed there setting out a framework for a possible settlement became known as the "Istanbul Communique".
The talks broke off in May, but Russian officials have long argued that a settlement can be reached along the lines of the Istanbul Communique. Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, has also referred to the 2022 draft as a possible guide to future peace.
Under the 2022 draft, Ukraine's path towards possible European Union membership would be facilitated and Russia wanted limits on Ukraine's armed forces, and the repeal of laws that Moscow considers discriminatory against Russian speakers, according to Reuters reporting.
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