Putin Says Russia Ready for Ukraine Talks but Offensive Will Continue

By Mintesinot Nigussie  |  September 2, 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow remains open to negotiations over Ukraine but warned that Russian forces will continue their military offensive as long as the talks remain stalled.

Speaking to Russian media in Bishkek on September 1 after a working visit to Kyrgyzstan, Putin said Russia was prepared to engage in negotiations if they produced concrete results, while acknowledging that the process was currently "to some extent frozen".

"We are in favour of negotiations, any negotiations, being filled above all with concrete content," Putin said. He added that Russia was not opposed to efforts that could bring a positive direction to the talks and said diplomats, military personnel and other specialists would be needed.

At the same time, Putin said Russian troops were increasing the pace of their offensive in Ukraine, signalling that Moscow does not intend to suspend its military campaign while diplomatic efforts remain unresolved.

He defended Russian strikes on Ukrainian military and industrial targets, ports and logistics infrastructure, saying they were carried out in response to attacks by Kyiv on Russian civilian infrastructure, energy facilities and oil refineries.

Putin also warned against what he described as growing pressure from NATO and Western countries, saying Russia was prepared to respond if it believed its interests were being threatened.

His comments come as diplomatic efforts to resolve the war remain uncertain, with Russia and Ukraine continuing to disagree over the terms of any potential settlement.

Putin also discussed Russia-US contacts, saying communication between the two countries had continued even during periods of severe tension. He specifically praised US President Donald Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, describing them as people Moscow was comfortable working with and saying they were "always welcome guests".

The Russian president also used the meeting to criticise Germany, attributing what he described as hostile actions by German authorities to domestic political difficulties and economic problems.

On Armenia, Putin said Russia’s relations with the Armenian people remained rooted in longstanding historical ties but acknowledged differences with the Armenian government over its foreign-policy direction. He said Armenia could not simultaneously integrate fully with both the European Union and Eurasian structures, while adding that Moscow had agreed to continue dialogue.

Putin also blamed Japan’s government for the deterioration in Russian-Japanese relations and disputed the rationale behind the Black Sea Grain Initiative, saying only a small share of Ukrainian grain had reached developing countries and Africa while most had gone to Europe.

Source: FSX Business News