Putin Claims He’s Willing To Negotiate With Ukraine On War He Started—A Day After Deadly Russian Blasts In Kherson

Topline

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday claimed his country is prepared to negotiate on the war he inflicted with Ukraine and its Western allies, comments that Ukraine quickly pushed back against after Russia showed no signs of slowing down as its forces shelled the city of Kherson and killed 10 on Christmas Eve.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with leadership of military-industrial complex … [+] enterprises in Tula, Russia.

SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

Speaking to state-run television network Rossiya 1, Putin said he is willing to negotiate about “some acceptable outcomes,” while implying that it was Ukraine and its allies who were refusing to come to the table.

Putin did not elaborate on what he meant by “acceptable outcomes” as Russia’s war aims have remained vague, even as Ukraine has vowed to continue fighting Russia’s invasion until it recaptures all of its land currently under Russian control, including the illegally annexed territory of Crimea.

When asked if tension with the West was approaching a dangerous level, the Russian president, who has previously threatened nuclear escalation, said he didn’t “think it’s so dangerous.”

Putin once again attempted to justify the invasion, which he launched in February as a so-called “special military operation,” by claiming it was carried out to “stand up for the people” living in the eastern half of the country—Russian disinformation about Ukrainian Nazis, which was a pretext for Putin’s war, have been roundly debunked.

Putin’s remarks come just a day after Russian forces shelled the city of Kherson—which was recently recaptured by the Ukrainian military—killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 50.

Chief Critic

Mykhailo Podolyak, who serves as an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, hit back at Putin’s statement, tweeting: “Putin needs to come back to reality. 1. Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and is killing citizens. There are no other ‘countries, motives, geopolitics’ 2. Russia doesn’t want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility. This is obvious, so we are moving to the Tribunal.”

What To Watch For

In the interview, Putin also said that Russia will “100%” take out the American-made Patriot air defense missiles if the U.S. sends the system to Ukraine. Earlier this week, President Joe Biden announced the Patriot missile battery will be part of a U.S. military aid package sent to Ukraine, coinciding with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to D.C. The advanced air defense system has been one of Ukraine’s top requests as it seeks to defend its cities and critical infrastructure from ongoing missile and drone strikes by Moscow’s forces.

Contra

In a special address delivered on Christmas Eve, Zelensky continued to strike a defiant tone. Zelensky attacked relentless Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities, calling them acts of terrorism. Acknowledging the difficult winter ahead, Zelensky, according to a CNN translation, said: “Even in total darkness, we will find each other, to hug each other tightly. And if there is no heat, we will give a big hug to warm each other…We will not wait for a miracle. After all, we create it ourselves.”

Tangent

Pope Francis and the archbishop of Canterbury—the leaders of the Catholic and Anglican churches—condemned the ongoing war in Ukraine in their Christmas addresses on Sunday. The Pope called for an immediate end to the “senseless war,” adding that he condemned the use of “food as a weapon” of war, pointing to Russia’s efforts to blockade the export of Ukrainian grain.

Key Background

Last week, Putin in a rare admission acknowledged that his forces were dealing with challenging conditions in the four Ukrainian provinces they partially occupy. Putin said the security situation in the four occupied territories—which Moscow claimed to illegally annex following a sham referendum earlier this year— was “extremely complicated.” Despite Russia claiming the provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia as its own, it only has full control of Luhansk. Large swathes of these territories were under Ukrainian control prior to Russia’s orchestrated vote and Kyiv’s forces have recaptured more of this territory, including the city of Kherson, since then. Zelensky made a surprise visit to Washington on Wednesday, where he met with Biden and delivered a rousing address to a joint session of Congress urging continued support for Ukraine.