SAINT PETERSBURG (Realist English). Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but only if peace negotiations are conducted with what he called a “legitimate authority”. Speaking in an interview with Serdar Karagöz, head of Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, Putin described the Minsk and Istanbul agreements as valid frameworks for a future peace deal.
“I’m ready to meet with anyone, including Zelensky,” Putin said. “But the final signature must come from a legitimate government. Otherwise, the next person will come along and throw it in the trash.”
Putin argued that Zelensky’s term had constitutionally expired and that even martial law does not permit its extension, rendering Kyiv’s current leadership “illegitimate.”
He reiterated that in March 2022, Russia and Ukraine had reached a preliminary agreement in Istanbul, which covered territorial and humanitarian issues, but the process was derailed by outside interference:
“We had agreed on everything. But then those who want to defeat Russia on the battlefield arrived and threw the agreement away.”
Putin emphasized Russia’s continued willingness to engage in “substantive talks” and confirmed that backchannel communications — including through Vladimir Medinsky and humanitarian exchanges — remain active.
According to the Russian president, Moscow has already returned the bodies of over 6,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers and is prepared to hand over 3,000 more.
Putin thanked Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for their peace efforts:
“Thank you for providing the platform, and thanks to President Erdoğan… He is doing a great deal to achieve a settlement.”
He also praised Donald Trump, calling him a leader genuinely interested in ending the war:
“Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that if he had been president, this war would not have happened. I think he’s right.”
Putin concluded by saying Russia values the positions of China, India, and BRICS partners and appreciates their diplomatic contributions:
“Believe me, we also want this conflict to end. And the sooner, the better. Ideally — through peaceful means.”
