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00:00 We must think about how to stop this tragedy.
00:03 Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine.
00:06 It is not Russia but Ukraine that has publicly announced its withdrawing from the negotiation
00:10 process.
00:11 Moreover, a decree was signed prohibiting such negotiations with Russia.
00:16 Well, listening to what Putin had to say there was our former Moscow correspondent, Nick
00:23 Holdsworth.
00:24 He's with me on the line now.
00:25 Nick, what did you make of what Putin had to say there?
00:29 This is grandstanding on the part of Putin.
00:32 He's taking the opportunity at a time when the Ukrainian offensive this year has ground
00:38 to a halt and despite the heavy losses the Russians are taking in Ukraine, the Kremlin
00:44 perceives the Russian position as being one of strength at the moment.
00:49 He's taking the opportunity to say, look, we've never refused peace talks.
00:53 It's the Ukrainians who won't engage in peace talks.
00:59 Of course, his blame on the Ukrainians for the war in the first place is because they
01:02 started attacking Russians in the eastern part of Ukraine, the Donetsk, in 2014, he
01:09 said, and he reiterated that Russia is ready for peace talks.
01:15 Among the other things he talked about were the tragedy of the events in Gaza, economic
01:21 problems in the world being the fault of faulty decisions by major players.
01:26 He wants to restart the World Trade Organization.
01:29 In other words, he's taking this opportunity at a time that he perceives the West is a
01:34 bit on the back foot because Ukraine's on the back foot, to grandstand his idea of the
01:40 multipolar world.
01:41 Look, we're reasonable.
01:42 We can have peace talks.
01:44 It's a tragedy.
01:45 War is always a tragedy.
01:46 So let's talk.
01:47 He's piling pressure on Ukraine and those wavering Western backers that the Russians
01:52 think might weaken at this point.
01:56 And Nick, Putin saying there, as you mentioned, that he has never refused to participate in
02:01 any kind of peace talks with the Ukrainian government.
02:05 Does that suggest to you he might actually be willing now to engage in talks?
02:12 The Russians claim that they've always been willing to engage in talks.
02:16 If the Ukrainians agree to engage in talks, the Russians would, of course, meet them.
02:21 The problem is, is that Kiev perceives the Russian idea of peace talks as a Trojan horse
02:28 for a reset, for them being able to re-equip and refresh their troops, strengthen their
02:33 defenses.
02:34 They've already got very strong defenses, three lines of defenses in the eastern part
02:39 of Ukraine and bordering Crimea.
02:42 Ukrainians will not go for this.
02:44 The problem for the Ukrainians is that some in the West may try to put them under pressure
02:50 to start talking about peace talks.
02:54 Nick Holdsworth, thanks very much indeed.
02:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]