Russia does not oppose Ukraine peace talks, according to Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that he has not dismissed the possibility of engaging in peace talks concerning Ukraine. After meeting with African leaders in St. Petersburg, he emphasized that African and Chinese initiatives could potentially form a foundation for achieving peace in the region.

According to BBC, Putin also mentioned the difficulty of implementing a ceasefire while the Ukrainian army continues its offensive actions. Both Ukraine and Russia have previously set certain preconditions for coming to the negotiating table.

Kyiv has asserted that it will not yield any territory, while Moscow insists that Ukraine must accept its country’s “new territorial reality” brought about by the Russian invasion and occupation of regions in the south and east of Ukraine.

During a late-night press conference on Saturday, Putin clarified that there are no immediate plans to escalate actions on the Ukrainian front. He also defended the arrest of critical voices, citing that some individuals were causing harm to Russia from within. Criticism of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is prohibited, and many prominent opposition members are either imprisoned or in exile.

In the extensive briefing, Putin also informed reporters that Russia had carried out some “preventive strikes” following an explosion on a Crimean bridge earlier that month. He described the incident as a “terrorist” act and vowed to respond. Although Kyiv did not officially claim responsibility for the bridge explosion, which resulted in two fatalities, Putin stated that Moscow took action in response to the incident.

The Russia-Africa summit occurred after a delegation from seven African countries met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin the previous month.