Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed his country's readiness to continue negotiations on a settlement in Ukraine and noted that the two negotiating teams remain in contact.During a meeting with heads of international news agencies at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2025, Putin said he was ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the final stage of the conflict resolution process.Putin emphasized that Russia wants to end the conflict as quickly as possible and prefers to do so peacefully. However, he emphasized that it will pursue its goals in Ukraine by military means if they prove impossible to achieve peacefully.He added that Moscow is prepared to hand over to Kyiv approximately 3,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, after having recently handed over more than 6,000 bodies.Regarding the territories controlled by Russia, Putin affirmed that Donbas, Kherson, and Zaporizhia are considered an integral part of Russia. He said that Russia responded to the demands of the population of these territories and held a referendum, and claimed that they are now an integral part of Russia.Meanwhile, Putin described allegations that Russia is planning to attack Europe or NATO countries as a ‘blatant lie’ aimed at misleading public opinion in the west, and noted that it is just nonsense.
