Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the State Council on youth policy in Moscow, Russia, on December 22, 2022. Sputnik/Sergey Guneev/Pool via REUTERS
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia wants an end to the war in Ukraine and that this would inevitably involve a diplomatic solution.
Putin made the comments a day after United States President Joe Biden hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the White House and promised him continued and unwavering U.S. support.
鈥淥ur goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war,鈥� Putin said. 鈥淲e will strive for an end to this, and the sooner the better, of course.鈥�
White House spokesman John Kirby said Putin has 鈥渟hown absolutely zero indication that he鈥檚 willing to negotiate鈥� an end to the war, which began when Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on February 24.
鈥淨uite the contrary,鈥� Kirby told reporters during an online briefing. 鈥淓verything he (Putin) is doing on the ground and in the air bespeaks a man who wants to continue to visit violence upon the Ukrainian people鈥� and 鈥渆scalate the war.鈥�
READ: Biden says Putin has no intention of ending 鈥榗ruel war鈥�
Kirby reiterated that Biden was open to talks with Putin, but only after the Russian leader 鈥渟howed a seriousness about negotiations鈥� and after consultations with Ukraine and U.S. allies.
Russia has persistently said it is open to negotiations, but Ukraine and its allies suspect a ploy to buy time after a series of Russian defeats and retreats that have swung the momentum of the 10-month war in favor of Kyiv.
鈥淚 have said many times: the intensification of hostilities leads to unjustified losses,鈥� Putin told reporters.
鈥淎ll armed conflicts end one way or another with some kind of negotiations on the diplomatic track,鈥� he added. 鈥淪ooner or later, any parties in a state of conflict sit down and make an agreement. The sooner this realization comes to those who oppose us, the better. We have never given up on this.鈥�
READ: Putin acknowledges Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine could be a long one
Russia says it is Ukraine that is refusing to talk. Kyiv says Russia must halt its attacks and give up all territory it has seized.
Putin also played down the significance of the Patriot air defense system that Biden agreed to supply to Zelenskiy, saying Russia would find a way to counter it.
READ: Putin orders border strengthening, greater control of society by special services
He said it was 鈥渜uite old鈥� and did not work like Russia鈥檚 S-300 system. 鈥淎n antidote will always be found,鈥� he said, boasting Russia would 鈥渃rack鈥� the Patriots.
鈥淪o those who do it are doing it in vain. It鈥檚 just prolonging the conflict, that鈥檚 all.鈥�
Putin also said a price cap imposed on Russian oil by Western countries, designed to limit its ability to fund the war, would not damage the Russian economy. He said he would sign a decree early next week to set out Russia鈥檚 response.
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