Beijing: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday during a media interaction in China said he is not ruling out the possibility of meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, he questioned the value of such talks, citing Ukraine’s current political and constitutional uncertainty.
Putin emphasised that the ongoing conflict could still be resolved through political means, but only if Kyiv and Western nations adopt a pragmatic and realistic approach.
"The Ukraine conflict can end if common sense prevails. If not, we will be forced to achieve our objectives through military means," the Russian president warned.
"Especially since we can see the mood of the current US administration under President Trump, and we see not just their statements, but their sincere desire to find this solution," he added.
Putin insisted that the war in Ukraine is not driven by territorial ambitions, but by the need to protect the cultural and linguistic rights of people in disputed regions.
"We’re not fighting for territories; we’re fighting for people’s rights to speak their language, to practise their culture," Putin said. "If those people choose democratically to be part of Russia, we must respect that decision."
The Russian President was addressing a press conference in Beijing at the end of his visit to China for the Tianjin SCO Summit and the military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The Russian President's comments come amid efforts from US President Donald Trump to broker a peace settlement between the two countries.
Earlier in in mid-August, Trump held a summit with Putin in Alaska and subsequently met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and key European and NATO alliance leaders at the White House.
After the meetings, Trump said he expected Zelensky and Putin to hold a bilateral meeting before a trilateral meeting that would also include him.
