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Putin has made Russia’s position on Ukraine talks clear — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov stressed that Ukraine would have to "pay a price" for its actions in recent months

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has clearly outlined Moscow’s position on resuming talks over Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, responding to a question about what Putin meant when he said Russia would base its decisions on national interests.

"I think the president made our position quite clear," Peskov said. He stressed that Ukraine would have to "pay a price" for its actions in recent months. Russia’s national interests, he added, include ensuring that no one would dare announce plans to deliver "a crushing blow to Russia within 40 days, as we heard from Kiev, for example."

"Overall, I believe Putin’s statement on the matter was very detailed," Peskov concluded.

Speaking to reporters in St. Petersburg on September 25, Putin said proposals to resume negotiations are "all on the table; all of that is possible." He added: "But after everything they have done, we will carefully consider what we should do next. In any case, we will make all decisions on this matter, including a possible resumption of negotiations, based on Russia’s national interests.".