VLADIVOSTOK, September 12. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukraine should rescind its presidential decree banning any talks with Russia as a first step toward a dialogue, in remarks delivered at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), which Vladivostok is hosting on September 10-13.
"If the United States thinks that Ukraine is ready for talks, let them (the Kiev regime - TASS) cancel the ban on negotiations imposed by a decree of Ukrainian President [Vladimir Zelensky]<…>by which he prohibited himself and all others from conducting negotiations. So, [US Secretary of State Antony] Blinken says they are ready [for talks]. Very well, then, let them cancel that decree for starters," the Russian leader said, speaking at a session of the EEF.
"Let them do so if there is a sincere wish [on Kiev’s part] to achieve something though the negotiating process<…>, let the Ukrainians themselves make another public declaration that they are now willing [to engage in talks]. I don’t see anything here that would somehow impair their image," Putin emphasized.
In the meantime, Putin noted, Ukraine is incurring heavy losses in manpower and equipment during its lackluster counteroffensive. According to Putin, the Kiev regime "is seeking, as their Western patrons are prompting them to, to bite off as much territory as possible." "And, then, once all of their resources - in manpower, equipment and ammunition - are nearly depleted to zero, they would seek an end to hostilities, saying: `Well, we have long been saying that we want talks,’ but would engage in talks merely in order to [buy time to] replenish their reserves and reinvigorate their army," Putin said, surmising that this approach could be one of the options in Ukraine’s playbook.