Putin says Ukraine talks frozen, calls Kushner and Witkoff welcome guests
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said the negotiation process on Ukraine is effectively frozen, speaking at a press conference after the SCO summit in Bishkek. He said Moscow is ready to continue contacts with US representatives who can make a concrete contribution to a settlement. Putin also said he had not discussed Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's proposal to freeze the conflict.
Key Facts
- Putin said the negotiation process on Ukraine is 'to a certain extent in a frozen state' and that Moscow is not interested in talks without concrete results.
- Putin named US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to Donald Trump, as 'always welcome guests' in Moscow.
- Putin said he had not discussed Tokayev's proposal to freeze the conflict, made publicly on July 25 in Omsk, and that they had not returned to the issue.
- Putin said contacts between Russian and US intelligence services are maintained constantly and existed even during the most tense periods of the Cold War.
Frozen Negotiations
Putin said the negotiation process on Ukraine is 'to a certain extent in a frozen state' and that Moscow is not interested in talks without concrete results. He made the remarks in response to a question about CIA Director John Ratcliffe's recent visit to Moscow. Putin said contacts between Russian and American intelligence services are maintained constantly and existed even during the most tense periods of the Cold War. He stressed that for Moscow the content of negotiations matters more than the number of mediators.
Preferred US Interlocutors
Putin singled out US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to Donald Trump, as people Moscow is comfortable working with. He said Kushner and Witkoff are 'always welcome guests' in Moscow and that they enjoy the trust of the American leader. Putin did not announce a refusal of contacts with the CIA director, but indicated that for direct negotiations Moscow considers interaction with Trump's inner circle most convenient.
Tokayev's Freeze Proposal
Putin said he had not discussed Tokayev's proposal to freeze the conflict along the line of contact, made publicly on July 25 in Omsk. He said they had not returned to the issue, and that Russia wants not just to freeze but to end the war and achieve lasting peace in Ukraine and Europe. Tokayev had suggested freezing the war and returning to negotiations in a 'Istanbul 2.0' format during the XXII Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia.
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Putin says Ukraine talks frozen, calls Kushner and Witkoff welcome guests
