Putin told the Ukrainians: If you refuse...

"If the Ukrainian leadership believes that waiting is necessary, they are welcome. We are ready to wait," Putin said when asked by the media about the direct talks that Turkey has been organizing since May.

The main thing is to eradicate the causes of the Ukrainian conflict, Putin told reporters after a meeting with Belarusian President Lukashenko.

The past negotiations positively evaluated 

The Russian president positively evaluated the results of negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul.

"Negotiations are always necessary and important, especially if there is a desire for peace," Putin said.

He emphasized that all disappointments regarding the negotiations are due to excessive expectations.

"When it comes to any disappointments from any side, all disappointments stem from excessive expectations. This is a well-known general rule," Putin said.

According to him, Lukashenko most directly participates in the process of solving problems in Ukraine in order to establish peace.

The terms remain unchanged

Putin pointed out that Russia's conditions regarding the Ukrainian issue, which were announced in the summer of 2024, remain unchanged.

"Yes, these conditions (regarding the Ukrainian issue) certainly remained the same. These are not conditions, but goals, I formulated Russia's goals. Until that moment, we were told that it was not clear what Russia wanted, so we formulated them in June of last year at a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation," Putin said.

According to him, in-depth discussions are needed in order to resolve the issues peacefully.

"In order to calmly approach the issue, we need to have detailed discussions. And not publicly, but to do it within the negotiation process," Putin said.

He said that the first serial complex of ballistic missiles "Oreshnik" was delivered to the Russian army.

The conditions set by Russia regarding the Ukrainian issues, published in the summer of 2024, remain unchanged.

They include:

• Ukraine pledges not to join any military bloc;
• Ukraine maintains its non-nuclear status;
• Recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions as Russian territories;
• Removal of sanctions against Russia.

Putin also said that Russian armed forces are advancing along the entire front line.

"The information that Russian troops have taken control of Chasiv Yar is completely true," Putin said, adding that the Ukrainian military was trying to launch a counterattack there.