The Kremlin has dismissed reports suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking discussions with the United States to terminate the conflict in Ukraine. According to a Telegram statement on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refuted a Bloomberg article claiming that Putin had shown interest in negotiations.
The Bloomberg piece, based on two unnamed sources linked to the Kremlin, indicated that Putin had subtly communicated to senior U.S. officials his willingness to consider Ukraine's "neutral status" and potential NATO membership. This purported outreach took place in December, with Putin allegedly open to dialogue provided Kyiv acknowledged Russian control over certain occupied regions.
However, Peskov strongly denied these claims, labeling the report as “false information” and “completely untrue.” Despite this, Peskov's previous remarks to Bloomberg affirmed President Putin's openness to dialogue regarding Ukraine. “President Putin has repeatedly said that Russia is, and will remain, open for negotiations on Ukraine,” he stated.
Peskov further emphasized Russia's preference to achieve its objectives diplomatically, but didn’t rule out continuing military operations to fulfill their goals.
Ukraine, with support from the U.S. and other Western allies, remains firm in its stance to regain control over territories occupied by Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been unwavering in his demand for a complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory.
The invasion, approaching its second-year mark, has seen varying reports from U.S. media outlets about Putin's possible inclination towards a ceasefire since September. However, the possibility of a shift in Putin's stance is contingent upon the progress of Russian forces on the battlefield, as per reports from The New York Times citing unnamed former Russian officials.
Additionally, a report from the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, citing anonymous sources familiar with Russian-Chinese diplomatic activities, claimed that Putin informed Chinese President Xi Jinping of his plans for the invasion to persist for five years.
