MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia is ready to negotiate with Ukraine but claims there isn't any 'desire' on the Ukrainian side to solve legal issues.

“If there is a desire to negotiate and find a compromise solution, let anyone conduct these negotiations,” Putin said.

“But from the point of view of signing the documents, here, of course, everything must be such that lawyers confirm the legitimacy of those people who will be authorised by the Ukrainian state to sign these agreements.”

The Russian President added that Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is "not legitimate" to lead these talks.

"You can negotiate with anyone, but because he is illegitimate, he has no right to sign anything. But if he wants to take part in the negotiations, I will allocate appropriate people who will conduct these negotiations," he told Russian reporters.

Previously, speaking about possible talks, the Russian President emphasized that any peace deal should respect the “realities on the ground.”

He said in June that Ukraine must also renounce its NATO bid and fully withdraw its forces from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — the regions Russia annexed in September 2022 — demands that Ukraine and the West have rejected.

Moscow also wants the West to lift its sanctions that has limited Moscow's access to global markets and dealt a heavy blow to Russia's economy.

Zelensky's initial “peace formula” demanded Russia’s full withdrawal from all occupied territories, but he later softened his position as Moscow continued to make gains, and he is no longer making that retreat a condition for talks.

Zelensky has emphasised the need for a comprehensive agreement, not a temporary halt to hostilities that would only allow Russia to replenish its arsenal.

He has pushed for the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers.

Putin has similarly rejected a temporary truce, pointing out that Russian troops are pressing an offensive and any break in the fighting would allow Ukraine to get reinforcements and supplies. — Euronews