Putin says Russia ready to negotiate over Ukraine - Reuters

MOSCOW, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Russia is acceptable to negociate with each parties progressive successful the warfare successful Ukraine but Kyiv and its Western backers person refused to prosecute successful talks, President Vladimir Putin said successful an interrogation aired connected Sunday.

Russia's Feb. 24 penetration of Ukraine has triggered the astir deadly struggle successful Europe since World War Two and the biggest confrontation betwixt Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

There is, frankincense far, small extremity successful show to the war.

The Kremlin says it volition combat until each its aims are achieved portion Kyiv says it volition not remainder until each Russian worker is ejected from each of its territory, including Crimea which Russia annexed successful 2014.

"We are acceptable to negociate with everyone progressive astir acceptable solutions, but that is up to them - we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are," Putin told Rossiya 1 authorities tv successful the interview.

CIA Director William Burns said successful an interrogation published this period that portion astir conflicts extremity successful negotiation, the CIA's appraisal was that Russia was not yet superior astir a existent dialog to extremity the war.

An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Putin needed to instrumentality to world and admit that it was Russia which did not privation immoderate negotiations.

"Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and is sidesplitting citizens," Mykhailo Podolyak said connected Twitter. "Russia doesn’t privation negotiations, but tries to debar responsibility."

'NO OTHER CHOICE'

Putin said Russia was acting successful the "right direction" successful Ukraine due to the fact that the West, led by the United States, was trying to cleave Russia apart. Washington denies it is plotting Russia's collapse.

"I judge that we are acting successful the close direction, we are defending our nationalist interests, the interests of our citizens, our people. And we person nary different prime but to support our citizens," Putin said.

Asked if the geopolitical struggle with the West was approaching a unsafe level, Putin said: "I don't deliberation it's truthful dangerous."

Putin said the West had begun the struggle successful Ukraine successful 2014 by toppling a pro-Russian president successful the Maidan Revolution protests.

Soon aft that revolution, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and Russian-backed separatist forces began warring Ukraine's equipped forces successful eastbound Ukraine.

"Actually, the cardinal happening present is the argumentation of our geopolitical opponents which is aimed astatine pulling isolated Russia, humanities Russia," Putin said.

Putin casts what helium calls a "special subject operation" successful Ukraine arsenic a watershed infinitesimal erstwhile Moscow yet stood up to a Western bloc helium says has been seeking to destruct Russia 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 concern which has sown suffering and decease crossed Ukraine.

Putin described Russia arsenic a "unique country" and said the immense bulk of its radical were agreed successful wanting to support it.

"As for the main portion - the 99.9% of our citizens, our radical who are acceptable to springiness everything for the interests of the Motherland – determination is thing antithetic for maine here," Putin said.

"This conscionable erstwhile again convinces maine that Russia is simply a unsocial state and that we person an exceptional people. This has been confirmed passim the past of Russia's existence."

Additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk successful Kyiv Editing by Gareth Jones

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