‘Ukraine must agree to irreversible steps’: Putin rejected the idea of a ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Istanbul agreements could form the basis of new peace agreements regarding Ukraine, but he rejected the idea of a ceasefire before negotiations begin.

He made these remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana.

“These agreements were initialed by the head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation, which means they apparently suited Ukraine. These agreements—the Istanbul agreements—remain on the table and could form the basis for continuing these negotiations,” said the Kremlin leader.

Putin reiterated his oft-repeated statement that Russia has never refused negotiations and accused Ukraine of avoiding talks, claiming that in 2022, Ukraine did so publicly under direct instructions from London.

He also rejected the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine before the start of peace talks.

“Russia cannot announce a ceasefire because it is not confident in the reciprocal actions of the Ukrainian side. A ceasefire without reaching agreements on Ukraine is impossible. A ceasefire along the line of contact is impossible before the start of peace negotiations with Ukraine. Moscow cannot announce a ceasefire in the hope of positive steps from the other side. Ukraine must agree to such steps that would be irreversible and acceptable to the Russian Federation for a ceasefire,” Putin stated.

In June, an American newspaper published the full draft of a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia that was negotiated in Istanbul in the spring of 2022 but was never signed. Western media also confirmed that one of the reasons for the failure of the talks in Turkey was the negative stance of the United States and the United Kingdom towards them.