Lasting peace with Ukraine and EU's loss of sovereignty: key takeaways from Putin's press event
The president made the remarks to the media on Friday when he hosted his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, for an informal meeting on Valaam Island, the home of a major Orthodox Christian monastery on Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia.
Here are the key takeaways from Putin's remarks:
Moscow can wait
The Russian president dismissed comments made by Vladimir Zelensky earlier in the day, when Ukraine's leader suggested it was not the time for peace talks with Russia and urged the 'world' to push for 'regime change' in the country instead.
'If the Ukrainian leadership believes it is not the time and waiting is necessary, they are welcome. We are ready to wait,' Putin stated.
Moscow believes that 'negotiations are always required and important, especially when they lead to peace,' he added, pointing out that agreements on assorted humanitarian issues, such as exchanging prisoners or returning bodies of fallen soldiers, were positive outcomes of the recent direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations hosted by Türkiye.
Putin questions legitimacy of Ukraine's leadership
The Russian president also slammed Zelensky's 'regime change' remarks, saying that the Ukrainian leader was in no position to call for that. 'Our political regime is grounded in the Constitution of the Russian Federation, and our government was formed in full compliance with the basic law. The same cannot be said about Ukraine,' he said.
Zelensky has remained in office beyond the expiration of his term last year, suspending elections on the pretext of martial law. Moscow has repeatedly raised concerns about his legitimacy, suggesting he might not be in a position to sign a peace treaty with Russia.
Russia seeks lasting peace with Ukraine
Putin reiterated Moscow's longstanding position that the settlement of the conflict with Kiev should result in a 'long-term, lasting peace' rather than a temporary ceasefire. The solution must address issues related to broader European security, Putin said, adding that the same position had been articulated by a high-ranking Ukrainian official during the recent talks in Istanbul.
'The Ukrainian delegation expressed the idea that it probably makes sense to talk about the security of both Russia and Ukraine in the context of pan-European security. One of the leaders of the Ukrainian delegation expressed this idea. And in general, we believe that this is correct; we share this stance,' Putin said.
EU has no sovereignty
Asked about the recent 'shameful' one-sided trade deal imposed by the US on the EU, Putin described the current situation as long in coming for the bloc, which had been frequently described in private by top officials as 'an economic giant but a political midget.'
'It was clear that the European Union, Europe, did not have that much sovereignty. Today it has become obvious that it does not exist at all. And this is immediately followed – in the critical situation that has developed – by economic losses,' the Russian president said. Reinforcing Russia's own sovereignty is among the goals of the military operation against Ukraine.
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