Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that England, France, and Germany are behind the disruption of the Istanbul agreements. He said this in an interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Russian leader said that Berlin and Paris persuaded Russia to withdraw its troops from Kyiv as a precondition for a peace agreement.
"The Europeans told us that we need to create conditions for signing the documents. Or our colleagues in France and Germany said: "How can you imagine they will sign a treaty with a gun to their head? You have to withdraw your troops from Kyiv." Well, I said, we withdrew our troops from Kyiv. And as soon as we withdrew our troops, the Ukrainian negotiators threw all our agreements in the trash and prepared for a long armed conflict with the help of the United States and its satellites in Europe," Putin said.
He then mentioned that after British Prime Minister Johnson arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine refused to negotiate.
"The fact that they submit to the demand or persuasion of Mr. Johnson, the former British Prime Minister, seems ridiculous. And it is very sad to me, because, as Mr. Arakhamia said, we could have stopped these hostilities with war a year and a half ago. But the British persuaded us, and we refused to do so. Where is Mr. Johnson now? And the war continues," Putin said.
Putin has repeatedly stated that he favors negotiations with Ukraine and that Russia and Ukraine "will come to an agreement sooner or later." He called on Kyiv to lift its ban on talks with the Kremlin. He made the same appeal to Washington, which, according to the Russian president, "decided" that Ukraine should withdraw from the negotiation process in the spring of 2022. And now, according to Putin's logic, he must make the same decision to return to the negotiations.
At the same time, he made it clear that the talks can only take place if Russia's control over the already seized territory of Ukraine is fixed. According to Putin, NATO can "adequately recognize" this control.
"There are options, if there is a desire," Putin said.
He also claims that in order to start negotiations, the United States must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, which, according to Putin, Moscow has already informed Washington.
"We are bringing to the US leadership: if you really want to stop hostilities, you need to stop supplying weapons, and everything will be over within a few weeks, that's all. And then we can agree on some conditions, but before that, stop," Putin said.
As another condition for the end of the war, he mentioned "denazification" several times during the interview, which he sees as "banning all kinds of neo-Nazi movements" in Ukraine and "getting rid of people who promote the theory of Nazism."
Ep. 73 The Vladimir Putin Interview pic.twitter.com/67YuZRkfLL
