Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for blocking peace negotiations during a 24 January televised interview.
Putin claimed that “a 2022 Ukrainian presidential decree prevents serious talks about ending the war in Ukraine,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 24 January, citing Russian media.
This refers to a decree Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed on 24 February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Decree No. 64/2022 imposed martial law across Ukraine, allowing for temporary restrictions on constitutional rights and the implementation of defense measures by the military and government agencies.
Putin told Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin that Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are “not interested in peace.” He argued that any negotiations before repealing the decree would be “illegitimate.”
The Russian leader suggested that former United States President Donald Trump should negotiate directly with him about Ukraine.
Discussions about a diplomatic resolution to the Russian war in Ukraine intensified following Trump’s comments. On 10 January, Trump announced his intention to meet directly with Putin, stating, “He wants to meet, and we are setting it up. We have to get that war over with. That’s a bloody mess.”
However, Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, stated before the inauguration that while Russia remains open to dialogue, no formal meeting request has been received.
While potential negotiations may lead to territorial losses for Ukraine—a concern for Kyiv—parallel diplomatic channels have opened with Zelenskyy. Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, confirmed that preparations for Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump are underway, though no specific date has been set.
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