Putin is open to talks and diplomacy on Ukraine, Kremlin says - Reuters

MOSCOW, Dec 2 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin is unfastened to talks connected a imaginable colony to the struggle successful Ukraine and believes successful a diplomatic solution, the Kremlin said connected Friday aft Joe Biden suggested helium was prepared to talk to the Russian leader.

Biden, speaking beside French President Emmanuel Macron, said the only mode to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine was for Putin to propulsion troops retired and that if Putin was looking to extremity the struggle past Biden would beryllium prepared to talk to him.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov struck a dovish code erstwhile asked astir Biden's remarks, saying that Putin remained unfastened to negotiations but that Russia would not propulsion retired of Ukraine.

"The president of the Russian Federation has ever been, is and remains unfastened to negotiations successful bid to guarantee our interests," Peskov told reporters.

Putin has said helium has nary regrets astir launching what helium calls Russia's "special subject operation" against Ukraine, casting it arsenic a watershed infinitesimal erstwhile Russia yet stood up to arrogant Western hegemony aft decades of humiliation successful the years since the 1991 autumn of the Soviet Union.

Ukraine and the West accidental Putin has nary justification for what they formed arsenic an imperial-style warfare of occupation. Ukraine says it volition combat until the past Russian worker is ejected from its territory.

TALKS?

Speaking astatine the White House, Biden said that helium and Macron had agreed they would enactment unneurotic to clasp Putin accountable for what helium formed arsenic a "barbaric" warfare - and that the thought of Putin ever defeating Ukraine was beyond comprehension.

Biden, who successful March said Putin could not stay successful power, said the Kremlin main had miscalculated by invading Ukraine but that if helium was superior astir getting retired of Ukraine past helium would beryllium consenting to beryllium down with Putin aft consultation with NATO allies.

Russia has claimed astir a 5th of Ukraine's post-Soviet territory, annexations the West and Ukraine accidental they volition ne'er accept.

Peskov said that the refusal of the United States to recognise "the caller territories" arsenic Russian was hindering a hunt for immoderate imaginable compromise.

"This importantly complicates the hunt for communal crushed for discussions," Peskov said.

Asked if the mode Biden was framing imaginable contacts meant that negotiations were intolerable from a Russian perspective, Peskov said: "In essence, that's what Biden said. He said that negotiations are imaginable lone aft Putin leaves Ukraine."

The Kremlin, Peskov said, could not judge that - and the Russian subject cognition would proceed successful Ukraine.

"But astatine the aforesaid clip - it is precise important to springiness this successful conjunction – President Putin has been, is and remains unfastened for contacts, for negotiations. Of course, the astir preferable mode to execute our interests is done peaceful, diplomatic means."

The struggle has near tens of thousands of soldiers dormant connected some sides and triggered the biggest confrontation betwixt Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Nick Macfie, William Maclean

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