【Putin's First Response to Trump's Ultimatum: As for those who feel disappointed, all disappointment stems from excessive expectations】

On August 1st, Putin met with Belarusian President Lukashenko on the Valam Island in Lake Ladoga and answered journalists' questions. Among them was a response to Trump's ultimatum.

Reporter: Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would like to ask you about the third round of negotiations held in Istanbul — you have not yet commented on it. I would like to know whether you have received a reply from Kyiv regarding the proposal made in Istanbul about three groups that can operate online. What is your overall evaluation of the progress and prospects of the negotiations? Also, a point. A few days ago, [Vladimir] Zelenskyy even said today that it is no longer meaningful to negotiate with Russia now, and that one should wait for a change of regime.

Putin: In principle, if the Ukrainian leadership believes that it is not the right time now and that it needs to wait, then we can wait. Please do so, we are willing to wait. That is the first point.

The second point, our political system is based on the Constitution of the Russian Federation, and the formation of power strictly complies with the state's fundamental law. Ukraine cannot say the same. I don't want to go into details now, but the current Ukrainian government is not based on the Ukrainian constitution; the constitution has obviously been violated, but I don't want to go into these details.

As for the negotiations, they are always necessary and important, especially if it is for the sake of peace. I give an overall positive evaluation. How can we not be positively evaluated by the fact that hundreds of people have returned to their homeland? This is positive. As you know, out of humanitarian considerations, we handed over thousands of bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in action, and in return, we received dozens of our young men who sacrificed their lives for the motherland. Is this not positive? Of course, this is the positive side.

As for those who feel disappointed, all disappointment comes from excessive expectations. This is a well-known general rule, but to solve the issue peacefully, it is necessary to have sufficient communication, and not in public, but in the quiet atmosphere of negotiation. For this, we proposed the three groups you mentioned. Overall, the reaction from Ukraine is positive. We agreed that such negotiations can take place in a calm manner without cameras or any political hype, seeking compromise. These groups have not started working yet. This work has not yet begun, but overall, as we see, the initial reaction from Ukraine is positive. Therefore, we expect this process to get started.

Reporter: One more supplementary question: Are the long-term ceasefire conditions you proposed a year ago still valid?

Putin: Yes, these conditions remain unchanged. In fact, they are not really conditions, but rather the goals articulated by Russia. Before, people kept saying it was unclear what Russia wanted. We have already clarified these goals at a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Foreign Ministry last June. Everything is clear, but the key is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis, which is the most important.

Of course, there are also humanitarian issues, broader security issues — Russia's security, as well as Ukraine's security. By the way, the Ukrainian delegation stated that perhaps it is necessary to discuss Russia and Ukraine's security within the context of European security. This was the idea expressed by a senior official of the Ukrainian delegation. Overall, we believe this is correct, and we agree with it.

There are also humanitarian issues: the status of the Russian language, the independent and dignified development conditions of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and other Christian churches. All of these should be discussed and should become the basis of a long-term, unrestricted peace.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839255919880268/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.