Putin rejects peace talks with Ukraine, saying 'no negotiations with terrorists'
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected Ukraine's proposals for a ceasefire or a summit, saying, "Who would negotiate with those who rely on terror?"
Putin was briefed online on Wednesday by his aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation to Istanbul earlier this week for direct talks with Ukrainian officials.
Medinsky said the Ukrainian side had proposed a 30 or 60-day unconditional ceasefire to prepare for a summit between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Putin noted that the blowing up of bridges in the western Russian regions of Bryansk and Kursk over the weekend left seven people dead and many others injured. He said it was undoubtedly a terrorist attack.
Putin claimed that a pause in hostilities would pump the Ukrainian regime with Western weapons to prepare other terrorist acts.
Putin has in the past dismissed Zelenskyy as a negotiating partner, referring to him as an illegitimate president whose term had expired. But he is taking a more hardline stance as Ukraine steps up its offensive.
The Russian presidential office announced on Wednesday that Putin had spoken with Pope Leo XIV.
In what appears to be their first phone conversation, Putin reportedly reaffirmed his intent to achieve peace in Ukraine through political and diplomatic means, stressing that the root causes of the crisis must be addressed in order to achieve a final, just and comprehensive resolution.
Putin is also said to have thanked the Pope for his readiness to assist in resolving the crisis.
Both sides reportedly expressed their intention to continue contacts.
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