Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin says ‘ready for peace talks’ after Kyiv’s attacks on refinery
Russian president says Moscow ready to end war on terms agreed in Istanbul
By Arpan Rai
Vladimir Putin said he was ready for peace talks with Ukraine days after Ukraine’s renewed assault on Russian oil infrastructure sparked fuel shortages.
Calling the Ukrainian strikes a ploy to "destabilise society", the president said: “Russia, however, as has been stated repeatedly, is ready for peace negotiations with Ukraine. It is ready to proceed on the basis of the agreements reached back in Istanbul, agreements which, I would remind you, were initiated at the time by the Ukrainian delegation.”
The remarks came after Ukraine’s UN envoy, Andrii Melnyk, warned that Kyiv could reconsider its current ceasefire proposal if there was no meaningful international push to end the war, saying “our patience is not endless”.
Meanwhile, a Trump cabinet member reportedly described Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as “the special-needs child for the Europeans”, according to a new book released on Tuesday.
Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump recounts a meeting to discuss a proposed minerals deal with Ukraine where US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent is quoted as saying: “I’ve dealt with this little f*****. He’s tricky. He’s like the special-needs child for the Europeans. And he’s acting like Mr Bean on crack.”