Conflict on Ukraine may end in one and a half to two months — Putin

During the negotiations in Istanbul in 2022, Moscow realized that deception by Kiev was possible, but agreed to the withdrawal of troops. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with Rossiya-1 journalist Pavel Zarubin.

According to him, it is incorrect to say that Ukraine imposed a ban on negotiations when the Russian army was stationed near Kiev.

"To say that the ban on negotiations was introduced (by Kiev. — Ed.), when Russian troops were stationed near Kiev, it was completely incorrect. On such serious issues, trying to mislead your society, the world community is at least incorrect," Putin said, quoted by RIA Novosti.

According to Putin, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will now be illegitimate, it is necessary to find a way to cancel the decree previously signed by the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, banning their conduct, this can be done by a representative of the Verkhovna Rada.

"When the current head of the regime, as it can only be called today, signed this decree (banning negotiations with the Russian Federation. — Ed.), he was a legitimate president relatively, and now he cannot cancel it because he is illegitimate. That's what the trick is, an ambush is, you know, a trap. But, in principle, by and large, if they want to do this, there is a legal way. Please, let the representative of the Rada do it there in accordance with the Constitution. If you wish, you can close any issue of a legal nature. So far we simply do not see such a desire," Putin said.

In addition, Zelensky is illegitimate and has no right to sign anything, he noted.

"You can negotiate with anyone, only because of his illegitimacy, he (Zelensky. — Ed.) has no right to sign anything," the president said.

According to Putin, the conflict on Ukraine may end in one and a half to two months if sponsorship money and ammunition run out.

He also said that he was ready to allocate people for negotiations with Zelensky if he wanted to participate in them.

There should be no mistakes in signing documents with Kiev, the Russian president stressed.

He called Ukraine's sovereignty almost zero.

According to Putin, during possible negotiations with Ukraine, Russia will seek what is in line with its interests.

"This is a very serious issue that should guarantee the security of both Ukraine, by the way, and Russia for a serious, long-term, historical perspective… Naturally, we will strive for what suits us, which corresponds to our interests," he added.