Russian President Vladimir Putin said his demands for Kyiv, formulated back in the summer of 2024, remain unchanged.
During a meeting with Belarus’s self-proclaimed president, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin also “positively” assessed the progress of the Istanbul talks and declared the need to discuss the conditions for a “long-term peace without time limits,” as reported by Russian media.
According to Putin, if Ukraine is not ready for negotiations, Russia can wait.
In turn, Lukashenko, sitting next to Putin on a bench, boasted that Moscow could capture everything.
“In a month, month and a half, two – the Russians will capture everything,” Lukashenko said.
Putin corrected Lukashenko, doubling down on his territorial claims: “We will take it back – it’s ours.”
Commenting on the expectations of other participants in the process, he hinted at US President Donald Trump’s position, noting that “disappointments usually come from excessive expectations.”
“Detractors spoke of the need for Russia’s strategic defeat on the battlefield, but today they have a different passion – to stop the Russian offensive at all costs,” Putin said.
Putin said a peaceful resolution to his invasion is only possible under a “non-public” negotiation process. According to him, this requires “calm, thorough discussions without cameras and political noise.”
“That’s exactly why we proposed the creation of three groups,” he added.
“In general, the reaction of the Ukrainian side was positive. We agreed that we could conduct such negotiations without cameras, without any political clamor, in a calm setting, and seek compromises,” Putin said.
July marked a turning point in Trump’s stance on Ukraine, as his messages to the Kremlin grew increasingly impatient.
On July 4, he admitted he was disappointed with his recent conversation with Putin, and on July 8, he publicly said the Russian leader “talks a lot of nonsense.”
On July 14, Trump threatened 100% tariffs for countries buying Russian oil if Moscow does not agree to a comprehensive peace deal with Ukraine within 50 days.
On Monday, July 28, Trump tightened his ultimatum, cutting it short to 10–12 days to initiate a ceasefire or face new US sanctions – the deadline was later confirmed to be Aug. 8.