Putin: Russia does not accept ultimatums from Ukraine and the West

Speaking on May 17, Putin said Ukraine and Western countries were trying to achieve goals they had failed on the military front diplomatically


In an interview with reporters on May 17 during a visit to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia has never refused to negotiate with Ukraine, but now Moscow needs to know which side it can negotiate with and trust.

Referring to the retreat of Russian forces as they approached the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Putin insisted that Russia "never refuses to negotiate," and that it is Ukrainian politicians who "pull out of the negotiation process," Tass news agency reported.

"Then we were fooled again... Now we have to know with whom and how we should negotiate, who to trust and to what extent. And of course, we are analyzing everything in this direction," Putin said.


At the same time, Putin said Russia would not give in to ultimatums from Ukraine and its Western allies, as these countries diplomatically try to achieve goals they failed to achieve on the military front.

Referring to the international peace conference for Ukraine to be held by Switzerland on June 6 without Russia, the Russian president said Moscow sees it as a "ruse" by Kiev and the West.

"They want to bring together as many countries as possible, convince everyone that the best proposals are terms from the Ukrainian side, and then send them to us in the form of ultimatums," Putin said. "Is this a serious way to negotiate? Definitely not," the Russian president stressed.

Putin said Russia and Ukraine had reached a preliminary peace agreement in 2022, with benefits for both sides. But after the general terms were negotiated, Kiev withdrew and announced it would pursue a military victory.

On the same day, when asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's political legitimacy as Ukraine has no plans to hold presidential elections during the fighting, Putin said it was a matter decided by Ukraine's constitutional court and political system.


However, Putin added that this is an important issue for Russia, if it is necessary to sign a future agreement between Russia and Ukraine regarding the war, Russia wants to make sure it signs with the right people.

"When it comes to signing documents, we should sign those important documents with the competent authorities," Putin was quoted as saying by RT