Putin ready for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, but not with Zelenskyy
What's the story
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is ready for peace talks with Ukraine, but ruled out direct negotiations with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Calling Zelenskyy "illegitimate," Putin justified his position on the grounds that Zelenskyy's presidential term had expired during martial law. However, he did offer a concession saying, "If (Zelenskyy) wants to participate in the negotiations, I will allocate people to take part."
Counter-accusations
Zelenskyy accuses Putin of fear and manipulation
In response to Putin's remarks, Zelenskyy accused Putin of being "afraid" of negotiations and deliberately dragging the conflict on with "cynical tricks." Zelenskyy also accused Putin of trying to "manipulate" US President Donald Trump, who has put pressure on both sides to end the fighting since coming into office. He has threatened tougher sanctions on Russia while claiming that Ukraine is ready to negotiate a "deal." However, despite these efforts, there have been no signs of de-escalation so far.
Conflict update
Putin predicts conflict end, Russian forces seize Ukrainian village
Russia's army announced on Tuesday that it has conquered a large village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, marking the latest territorial victory for Moscow's advancing soldiers. The Russian defense ministry announced that its forces had "liberated" the village of Dvorichna, which had a population of over 3,000. According to Ukrainian military bloggers with links to the defense ministry, Russian forces are moving on the sides of Chasiv Yar, a strategic hilltop hamlet that was home to approximately 12,000 people.