Russia is ready for talks, but Kyiv refusing to join, says Putin

On Friday, President Vladimir Putin restated Russia’s position that it was ready for dialogue with Ukraine but that Kyiv was refusing to join.

At a conference between Russia and Africa in St. Petersburg, AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said that the AU placed a high importance on respecting the independence of sovereign nations and working out differences amicably.

While Russia, which started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine 17 months ago, still controls a fifth of Ukrainian land, Kyiv has stated that it is not prepared to enter negotiations with Moscow.

Russia has that any negotiations take these “new realities” into consideration. On Friday, a top Ukrainian official accused Russia of endangering civilian vessels in the Black Sea, calling Russia’s actions “the methods of terrorists” and calling on the international community to condemn Russia.

Last week, Russia pulled out of an agreement brokered by the United Nations that would have ensured the secure shipment of grain from Ukraine, a key global grain exporter, via the Black Sea, and warned that ships traveling to Ukrainian seaports could be considered military targets.

Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, recently made an accusation against Russian vessels in the Black Sea, saying that they violate all principles of international maritime law and pose a threat to civilians.

This was posted on the messaging app Telegram.

Ukrainian border guards said they heard Russia’s warning to a civilian ship as it was nearing a Ukrainian port.

That “the aggressor’s warships continue to behave brazenly and audaciously in the waters of the Black Sea, violating all the norms of international maritime law,” it said.