Putin Re-iterates Readiness for Ukraine Peace Talks

The Facts

• In a four-and-a-half-hour 'Direct Line' event where Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin fielded questions from the press and public on a host of domestic and international issues on Thursday, the Russian leader re-iterated his willingness to enter into peace talks to end the conflict in Ukraine.

• "Politics is the art of compromise," Putin said. "We have always said that we are ready for both talks and compromises." He added: "We are ready, but we need the other side to also be ready to negotiate and to compromise" — once again referencing the disputed claim that a deal was nearly reached in 2022, but that it was torpedoed at the insistence of the UK.

• Despite the peace offering, elsewhere in his remarks, Putin said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine — what it calls the "special military operation" — should have begun earlier than it did. "Looking back, knowing what we know now, I think the decision we made in early 2022 should have been made sooner," he said.