Peace Talks Stalemated: Putin Highlights Fundamental Disagreements Between Russia and Ukraine

On Friday, President Vladimir Putin stated that the peace proposals from Russia and Ukraine remain «completely contradictory,» as recent discussions did not narrow the gap towards a ceasefire.

This month in Istanbul, negotiators from both nations exchanged written proposals during peace talks; however, aside from agreeing on extensive prisoner exchanges, these discussions did not produce significant results.

«Concerning the memorandums, as anticipated, there were no surprises… these are two entirely conflicting documents,» Putin commented during a press conference in Minsk, Belarus, referring to the peace proposals from each side.

«This is the reason why negotiations are organized and conducted—to attempt to reconcile these differing positions,» he further explained.

Thus far, Putin has dismissed requests for an immediate ceasefire and has increased aerial strikes as Russian troops make further advances into Ukrainian territory, including areas beyond the four regions that Moscow has claimed to annex since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Russia has insisted that Ukraine relinquish more territory and forgo Western military assistance, demands that Kyiv has rejected as unacceptable.

Despite the ongoing stalemate, Putin mentioned that both parties will «maintain further communication» after completing the agreed-upon prisoner exchanges from their last direct negotiations on June 2.

Several exchanges have already occurred, with each side releasing over 1,000 soldiers. Putin indicated that Russia is also ready to return the remains of an additional 3,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers.

The Russian president acknowledged the economic pressures generated by the war, noting that defense expenditures now represent 6.3% of the GDP, equivalent to 13.5 trillion rubles ($172 billion).

«It’s a substantial amount,» Putin remarked. «We’ve dealt with it through inflation, but we are now addressing that inflation.»

He also criticized NATO countries for their commitments to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, describing the initiative as «aggressive.»