Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, Moscow is ready for fresh direct peace talks with Ukraine, despite ongoing drone attacks by both sides.
Speaking in Minsk during his visit to Belarus yesterday, Mr. Putin said, officials are discussing the timing of the potential meeting, with ceasefire terms likely on the agenda.
Earlier, previous rounds of talks in Istanbul ended without progress. On the other hand, Ukraine has reported to have intercepted most of 363 Russian drones and six missiles overnight. While Russia has claimed downing 39 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions.
Speaking to reporters in Minsk, during a visit to Belarus, Putin said Russian and Ukrainian officials are discussing the timing of a potential new meeting.
The Russian leader said that the terms of a potential ceasefire, which the Kremlin has so far effectively rejected, are expected to be on the agenda.
The war shows no signs of abating, as US-led international peace efforts have so far produced no breakthrough. Two recent rounds of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul were brief and yielded no progress on settling.
However, the suggestion appears likely to be a non-starter, given Putin’s recent comments. The Russian leader has said a summit meeting should take place only after the main provisions of a peace deal have been agreed, something that could take months or years.
Putin has also repeated his claim that Zelenskyy lost his legitimacy after his presidential term expired last year—an allegation rejected by Kyiv and its allies.
Meanwhile, Russian forces launched 363 Shahed and decoy drones as well as eight missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Friday, claiming that air defences stopped all but four of the drones and downed six cruise missiles.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said 39 Ukrainian drones were downed in several regions overnight, including 19 over the Rostov region and 13 over the Volgograd region. Both regions lie east of Ukraine.
