Vladivostok: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he sees a chance for diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok.
Putin said the main parties to the conflict, Russia and Ukraine, should reach agreement before other countries join the process. “Are there chances? In my view, yes, there are,” he told the audience.
The Russian leader said Moscow remains in contact with Washington, including through intelligence channels, and expressed hope the talks would lead to a positive result. He added that he believed President Donald Trump was open to constructive work on restoring Russia-US ties, as reported by Anadolu Agency.
Putin also highlighted Russia’s friendships in the United States, singling out actor and director Steven Seagal, who was present in the hall. Calling him a friend of Russia and the best envoy of peace, Putin’s remark drew applause.
Turning to the war itself, Putin condemned attacks on civilian vessels and aircraft, describing them as state terrorism. He said seizures of merchant ships, strikes on commercial vessels and threats against civilian planes complicated the prospects for bilateral peace talks. Western allies of Ukraine who failed to respond to such actions, he added, were becoming accomplices in international terrorism.
On the military front, Putin said Moscow was rapidly improving its air defenses and claimed all recent attacks on Russian oil refineries had been repulsed. He again dismissed rumors of a new mobilization, saying there was no scenario today that would require one, and accused opponents of spreading the reports to disrupt the upcoming State Duma election.
In a lighter moment, Putin noted that Russian businessmen had recently donated hundreds of billions of rubles to the state budget, calling the sums an absolute surprise.
