Vladimir Putin told he ‘needs to come back to reality’ after claiming he’s ‘ready’ for Ukraine talks
by 0 
by 0 Ukraine has said Vladimir Putin “needs to come back to reality” in response to the Russian president’s claim that he is ready to negotiate.
Mr Putin had told state broadcaster Rossiya 1 on Sunday: “We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them – we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are.”
Putin says Russia ‘ready’ to negotiate – war latest
But Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on Twitter: “Putin needs to come back to reality.
“Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and is killing citizens.
“There are no other ‘countries, motives, geopolitics’.
“Russia doesn’t want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility.”
‘Russia has lost everything it could this year’
It is 10 months since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
And, with no serious peace talks for months, there is little end in sight.
Millions of people in Ukraine are without electricity, due to Russian attacks on the country’s infrastructure.
Mr Zelenskyy has warned his people that Moscow will try to make the last days of 2022 dark and difficult.
He said: “Russia has lost everything it could this year.
“I know darkness will not prevent us from leading the occupiers to new defeats.
“But we have to be ready for any scenario.”
Read more:
How Ukrainians are doing Christmas differently this year
The Chechen fighters taking on Putin’s ’empire of evil’ in Ukraine
‘Defending our national interests’
Ukraine says it will not negotiate until every Russian soldier is gone from its territory, while Russia says it will keep fighting until it achieves its aims.
Mr Putin said on Sunday that he believes he is “defending our national interests…protect(ing) our citizens”.
Mr Putin also blames Kyiv and its Western backers for a lack of progress on peace talks, but has made clear that any negotiations must be on his terms.
Ukraine says this would be unacceptable, as it would mean bowing to Russian demands and accepting Mr Putin’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
‘Posturing’
The US State Department has not commented on Mr Putin’s latest talks offer, but after a similar speech from Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in October, spokesman Ned Price dismissed Russia’s approach as “posturing”.
“We do not see this as a constructive, legitimate offer to engage in the dialogue and diplomacy that is absolutely necessary to see an end to this brutal war of aggression,” he added.
