Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, said on Thursday that he wants to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine and that a diplomatic solution is needed. Putin said this about the Ukraine war.
These statements were made only one day after US President Joe Biden welcomed Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House and assured him of the country's unwavering support.
According to Mr. Putin, the goal of the Russian government is "to finish this conflict," not "to spin the flywheel of military confrontation."
"We will use whatever means at our disposal to halt this, and obviously the sooner the better."
Vladimir Putin, according to John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House, "has provided absolutely nothing evidence that he's willing to negotiate" an end to the crisis. On February 24, when Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, the crisis erupted.
In response, Mr. Kirby said, "Quite the reverse." The words "increases the conflict" and "everything he is doing on the ground and in the air bespeaks a person who wants to continue to wreak carnage upon the Ukrainian people" may be used to describe what this individual intends to do.
He reaffirmed that President Biden was willing to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said such talks would not happen until Putin "showed sincerity about dialogue" and after consulting with Ukraine and other US allies.
Russian officials have repeatedly stated their willingness to engage in conversation, but Ukraine and those who support it believe this is a ploy to buy time after the country has suffered losses and retreats that have tipped the balance of the ten-month battle in Kyiv's favor.
"I have emphasized it many times: the escalation of hostilities results in unacceptable fatalities," Mr. Putin was reported as saying.
"No military conflict has ever come to an end without some kind of conversation on a particular diplomatic front.
"The parties to a disagreement will eventually get down to discussing a resolution and reach an understanding. It will be in everyone's interest if they reach this conclusion as soon as possible. We've never given up trying to do this."
Russia claims that Ukraine is avoiding communication. Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, has requested that Russia stop all military activities immediately and hand over all of the territories it has captured there.
Additionally, Mr. Putin minimized the importance of the Patriot air defense system that Mr. Zelenskyy was promised by Mr. Biden, claiming that Russia would find a way to thwart it. Mr. Biden's assent prompted the utterance of this comment.
It was "extremely antiquated," he, said, and did not function like the S-300 system used by Russia.
In addition to declaring that Russia will "crack" the Patriots, Mr. Putin has declared that "an antidote will always be developed."
"People who keep doing it are wasting their time, therefore. The only thing it does is prolong the conflict."
Mr. Putin also said that the Russian economy won't be harmed by the price restriction that western countries seek to impose on Russian oil to limit Russia's ability to finance the conflict.
At the start of the next week, he declared he will sign a decree establishing Russia's response.
