Putin is ‘open to talks’ with Zelenskyy, but again questions his legitimacy
Vladimir Putin said that he is open to talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only at their final stage. He said this, among other things, during a television briefing for foreign media on June 18 in St. Petersburg, Reuters reports.
"If the Ukrainian state trusts someone to negotiate, for God's sake, let it be Zelenskyy. That's not the question. The question is who will sign the documents... When dealing with serious issues, it is important for us not to have a propaganda component, but a legal one," he said, adding: "But the point must be made, the signature must be from the legitimate authorities, otherwise, you know, the next one will come and throw it all in the bin. But you can't do that either, we're dealing with serious issues. That's why I'm not giving up on this, but a lot of work needs to be done."
At the same time, he said that Russia is ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine: "A new round is possible after June 22," Putin said.
He rejected accusations that the Russian Federation is striking civilian targets in Ukraine, as happened in Kyiv on Tuesday night, saying that "the strike was not on residential areas, but on defense industry facilities - on factories that produce military equipment."
He also said that "the situation for Kyiv will worsen... The Armed Forces of Ukraine are 47% manned, and the assault units are even less, and what's next?"
Putin once again returned to narratives of "demilitarization" of Ukraine, saying that "the Russian Federation will not allow armed forces in Ukraine that will threaten Russia in the future."