Last Update: January 05, 2023, 19:56 IST
Russian President Vladimir Putin. (File Image: Reuters)
The Kremlin claims it has annexed the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, although it does not fully control them.
President Vladimir Putin told Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he is ready for talks ukraine The Kremlin said on Thursday, if Kyiv accepts the territories occupied by Moscow as Russia.
“Putin reaffirmed Russia’s openness to serious negotiations on the condition of meeting the well-known and repeatedly voiced requirements by the Kyiv authorities taking into account new regional realities,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Erdogan called for peace talks in the phone call with Putin, his office said earlier.
Russian troops have occupied large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
The Kremlin claims it has annexed the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, although it does not fully control them.
“The Russian side emphasized the subversive role of Western states, pumping the Kyiv regime with weapons and military equipment, providing it with operational information and targets,” the statement said.
The leaders also discussed the implementation of a historic grain deal brokered by the United Nations with the help of Turkey to unblock Ukrainian grain.
The Kremlin said the pair discussed the need to “unblock food and fertilizer supplies from Russia” and “remove all barriers to Russian exports”.
Russia briefly pulled out of the accord after a drone attack on its Black Sea fleet in October. It re-entered the deal within days but officials have complained about sanctions on Russian products.
Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February last year.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)