Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow is ready to resume trilateral negotiations with Ukraine and the United States, but continues to insist on a final peace agreement instead of a temporary ceasefire. At the same time, he again made territorial claims to Ukraine, calling its occupied lands part of "historical Russia".
Putin said this on October 22 in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin for the Vesti news service.
Commenting on Vladimir Zelensky's statements about the possibility of ending the war while maintaining the current front line, Putin rejected the idea that Ukraine could dispose of the occupied territories.
"This is not their territory, this is the territory of historical Russia", the Russian president said.
Thus, Putin again outlined Moscow's territorial claims, despite discussions of a possible resumption of peace negotiations. At the same time, he did not present any new concrete proposals regarding borders or territorial compromise.
Earlier, Zelensky in an interview with Fox News allowed the cessation of hostilities along the current line of contact. The Ukrainian president called such an option a realistic path to ending the war and stressed the need for subsequent security guarantees.
The proposal to stop hostilities along the front line does not mean Ukraine's legal recognition of the Russian annexation. Kyiv maintains its position on the territorial integrity of the state within internationally recognized borders.
During the interview, Putin also confirmed Moscow's readiness to return to trilateral negotiations with the participation of representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.
According to him, the subject of negotiations should be security guarantees after the conclusion of a final peace agreement, not the terms of a short-term truce.
The Russian president claims that this position was discussed during his meeting with US Special Representative Steve Witkoff on October 21 in St. Petersburg.
Another issue for possible negotiations, Putin called the future architecture of European security. According to him, the need for such a discussion was outlined by Witkoff, and the Russian president agreed with this approach.
At the same time, Putin again stated that he considers Russians and Ukrainians one people. He has repeatedly used such claims to justify Russian policy towards Ukraine.
The very statement about Moscow's readiness to resume negotiations is not a new decision. As earlier reported by "Kurs Ukrainy", on October 21, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov already announced the Kremlin's agreement in principle to return to the trilateral format in November.
It is assumed that the talks could take place in Abu Dhabi, tentatively in mid-November. However, the final date of the meeting, the list of participants, and the agreed agenda have not yet been announced.
Thus, the key new moment of Putin's interview was his public reaction to Zelensky's proposal to stop hostilities along the existing front line. The Russian president continues to insist on his own territorial claims and links the possible end of the war with broader security agreements.
