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Putin claims readiness for talks, demands Ukraine repeal Zelenskyy’s decree

Russian President blamed Ukraine for stalling peace negotiations, claiming a Ukrainian presidential decree prevents meaningful talks while he remains in power.
byMaria Tril
25/01/2025
2 minute read
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: RIA Novosti
Putin claims readiness for talks, demands Ukraine repeal Zelenskyy’s decree

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 decree was a direct response to Russia’s illegal annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. The decree explicitly prohibits Ukraine from conducting negotiations with Putin while he remains in power, reflecting Ukraine’s stance that any peace talks must respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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.”

Ukraine’s Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak dismissed Putin’s remarks, accusing him of seeking to sideline Europe in any talks.

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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