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Akbar Novruz

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Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested on Sunday that peace talks with Ukraine, if the two sides agree to negotiate, could take place in Belarus, claiming that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is "ready to fully support anything aimed at resolving contentious issues peacefully", AzerNEWS reports.

However, he told the Vesti news agency that Ukraine's recent strikes deep into Russian territory are meant to give Kyiv the upper hand in talks, adding that "we won't give them that chance."

Putin said that Moscow expects to continue talks with the United States after it reaches a more permanent deal with Iran. He said his government is ready to host representatives of the Trump administration "with whom we have already met in Moscow on numerous occasions," likely referring to envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. He also expressed doubts that European leaders can influence US President Donald Trump's position on Ukraine, describing him as a "mature and experienced" politician.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that he received a proposal from Ukraine to stop strikes deep into each other's territory. He claimed that the proposal was made because Russia's retaliatory strikes are "far more powerful, sensitive, and, frankly, destructive, leading to truly serious consequences for the Kyiv regime," he claimed.

Putin added that Ukraine also suggested limiting hostilities to Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and the two separatist states, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. He said that this would allow the Ukrainian military to withdraw its troops from other regions, including Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy. "Given the catastrophic personnel shortage, the Ukrainian Armed Forces apparently believe this could be their salvation. But saving the Kyiv regime is not part of our plans," he told the Vesti news agency.