“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that Russia would strive to stop the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible” but then blamed Ukraine for refusing to negotiate, though Putin ordered the invasion and his troops are still occupying a large swatch of Ukrainian territory.
Putin’s remarks came during an appearance with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where they are attending a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
“I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, about your concerns that you constantly express,” Putin said. “We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible. Only, unfortunately, the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, announced its abandonment of the negotiation process, declared that it wants to achieve its goals by military means, as they say, ‘on the battlefield.’ Nevertheless, we will always keep you informed of what is happening there.”