Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Moscow does not rule out resuming negotiations with Ukraine, but claimed that following recent Ukrainian attacks, Russia intends to further consider whether to return to the negotiating process.
Putin made the remarks on September 25 while speaking to journalists in St. Petersburg, responding to a question about possible trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
According to Putin, the Ukrainian side previously suspended the talks held in Istanbul but, shortly before the State Duma elections, allegedly expressed readiness to resume them. Moscow, he claimed, responded that contacts could be renewed after the vote.
At the same time, Putin linked the prospects for negotiations to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory. He claimed that on the night of September 19–20, an attempted large-scale attack on the Moscow region involved more than 1,600 drones.
Putin also accused Ukraine of striking polling stations and the homes of members of territorial election commissions. According to him, in one case, a commission chair, her husband and their child were wounded, while in another, the head of a territorial election commission was killed in a strike on her home.
Putin separately mentioned attacks on St. Petersburg during an economic forum, strikes on Russian oil refineries and vessels in the Black Sea, as well as warehouses belonging to Wildberries and Ozon.
According to the Russian leader, Moscow then began carrying out retaliatory strikes, which he claimed were so damaging to Ukraine that Kyiv once again began raising the possibility of a partial ceasefire.
“Apparently, the retaliatory actions of the Russian Armed Forces proved so painful and destructive for the adversary that they are now once again actively raising the issue of a ceasefire in several areas,” Putin said.
According to him, this could include halting strikes on energy facilities, including Russian oil refineries, mutually suspending aerial attacks, as well as arrangements concerning the Black Sea.
Speaking about a possible aerial ceasefire, Putin specifically mentioned Russia’s Geran attack drones. He claimed that Ukraine was particularly interested in stopping attacks involving these drones.
“Apparently, what they particularly need is an end to strikes by our Geran drones, the modern Gerans, against which, at least for now, they have no countermeasure, no antidote,” Putin said.
At the same time, the Russian leader accused Ukraine of being the first to launch attacks in all of the areas he mentioned.
“But they started all of this. They started it in every area. What is this, some kind of game? Are these children’s games?” he said.
Putin said Ukraine should “feel” Russia’s retaliatory strikes and claimed that continued attacks on Russian territory would only worsen Kyiv’s position.
However, he did not rule out either a ceasefire in certain areas or a return to negotiations.
“All these areas related to the so-called ceasefire and the proposals to resume negotiations — yes, they are all on the table, all of this is possible. But after everything they have done, we will think carefully about what we need to do in response,” Putin said.
According to him, Moscow will make its final decisions, including on the possible resumption of negotiations with Ukraine, “based on the interests of the Russian Federation.”
Putin did not name a specific date or location for a possible new round of talks.
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