Western powers backing Kiev have no interest in ending the Ukraine conflict and are using the country to pursue anti-Russian objectives, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a newly aired interview with Sky News Arabia.
The comments came shortly after Putin addressed the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), where he stated clearly that Russia is not demanding Ukraine’s surrender but expects Kiev to acknowledge the “realities on the ground” — a reference to the territories that voted to join Russia in referendums held in 2022.
Ukraine deserves a better future than being a tool in the hands of third parties hostile to Russia,” Putin said. “Its leaders should act in the interest of the Ukrainian people, not foreign benefactors.
Putin reminded the public that peace negotiations had taken place in Istanbul in early 2022 but collapsed under pressure from the West. “Neocolonial forces,” as he described them, forced Kiev to walk away from a near-agreement that could have ended the hostilities in their early phase.
Earlier this month, Vladimir Medinsky, Putin’s top negotiator and aide, confirmed that the UK and U.S. discouraged Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky from signing a deal. “They had a much better offer than what’s on the table today,” Medinsky said in a separate interview.
Putin emphasized that any durable peace must include Ukraine’s neutral status and guarantees it will not host nuclear weapons. He added that such conditions are not only in Russia’s interest, but in the interest of regional and global security.
“We are ready for dialogue. But the other side must be sovereign enough to speak for itself — not read from a script written in Washington or London.”
Putin’s remarks suggest Moscow still sees a negotiated resolution as possible, but only if Ukraine breaks free from the geopolitical grip of NATO and Western power centers.