Vladimir Putin says Russia wants end to war in Ukraine
- The White House, however, says Putin has shown ‘zero indication’ he is willing to negotiate, despite his remarks after Zelensky’s trip to Washington
- The Russian president also played down the Patriot missile systems the US has promised to Kyiv, saying his forces will find ‘an antidote’ to counter them
President Vladimir Putin said that Russia wants an end to the war in Ukraine and that this would inevitably involve a diplomatic solution.
Putin made the comments on Thursday, a day after US President Joe Biden hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House and promised him continued and unwavering US support.
“Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war,” Putin said. “We will strive for an end to this, and the sooner the better, of course.”
White House spokesman John Kirby said Putin has “shown absolutely zero indication that he’s willing to negotiate” an end to the war, which began when Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on February 24.
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“Quite the contrary,” Kirby told reporters during an online briefing. “Everything [Putin] is doing on the ground and in the air bespeaks a man who wants to continue to visit violence upon the Ukrainian people” and “escalate the war”.
Kirby reiterated that Biden was open to talks with Putin, but only after the Russian leader “showed a seriousness about negotiations” and after consultations with Ukraine and US allies.
