WASHINGTON, May 28. /TASS/. Kiev should restart the negotiation process with Moscow even if it means Ukraine has to give up some territories to do so, political commentator Branko Marcetic said in an article for the Responsible Statecraft website.

He pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is ready to resume peace talks with Ukraine provided Kiev takes into account the realities in the special military operation zone.

"Taking advantage of Putin’s apparent openness to a ceasefire and striking a deal now, however unpleasant, will be better for everyone: for the state of Ukraine, for its people, and for the safety of the entire world," Marcetic said.

According to the columnist, the result of the Ukrainian authorities’ decision to withdraw from the negotiation process with Moscow in 2022 "has been disastrous" for Kiev. "Its (Ukraine's - TASS) economy and infrastructure have been crippled, it is mired in massive amounts of foreign debt, faces more than half a trillion dollars," Marcetic concluded.

On 24 May, Putin said at a press conference following his talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Russia was ready to resume peace talks with Ukraine. The Russian leader emphasized that new agreements with Kiev should be based on the draft Istanbul agreements of 2022 (which included provisions on neutrality and security guarantees) and take into account the existing territorial situation.