On the eve of his visit to Beijing, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin made another cynical statement about Russia's ‘readiness for negotiations’ - they are possible with the current frontline without the withdrawal of Russian troops.
Putin said this in an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua, the text of which was published on the Kremlin's website.
"We want a comprehensive, sustainable and fair settlement of this conflict by peaceful means. And we are open to dialogue on Ukraine, but these should be negotiations that take into account the interests of all countries involved in this conflict, including our interests," the Kremlin leader said.
He emphasised that negotiations with Ukraine could start with the current frontline, without the withdrawal of Russian troops.
"Along with a serious conversation about global stability, security guarantees for both the opposing side and, of course, for Russia. And these must be reliable guarantees," Putin said.
He also thanked China for the "constructive and realistic position" that Xi Jinping is promoting on the world stage, apparently hinting at Beijing's ‘peace initiatives’ to bring Moscow to negotiating platforms with other world leaders.
Earlier, we wrote that the Chinese leader made statement on the war in Ukraine.