Moscow has never refused peaceful settlement of disputes with Ukraine: Putin

"We have never refused to resolve disputes peacefully. Moreover, this is exactly what we were inclined to do," the Russian president said, adding that these efforts led to major negotiations that culminated in Istanbul.

 

Moscow heeded calls that "Ukraine should not sign it [those agreements] ‘at a gunpoint’," and withdrew its troops from Kiev, but "then, under the pressure from the West, the Ukrainian side walked out of these agreements." "Immediately after we did this, our agreements were thrown into a trash bin," Putin added.

 

Ukraine has realized that it won’t defeat Russia on the battlefield, Putin said. "They refused to negotiate. And now they are in a rather difficult situation."

 

Putin said he would seek Lukashenko's mediation, should the need for new talks arise. The Belarusian leader replied that he supported Russia's stance on the issue.