The Russian president said that Moscow does not believe Ukraine is ready for peace talks. Russia, on the other hand, is “ready and willing” to end the war in Ukraine on the basis of the principles he presented to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2024.

At the same time, as Putin was speaking, the setting itself conveyed particularly pointed messages to Ukraine and its allies. Specifically, on the wall behind the Russian president there was a large map of Russia that included not only the outline of Crimea but also the four eastern regions of Ukraine that Moscow annexed in 2022: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

Although Russian forces have not yet fully conquered these regions, this did not prevent Putin from claiming them as Russian territory.

As Sky News notes, the display of these territories in the background of today’s appearance appears to send a clear message from the Kremlin: that there is no intention whatsoever of abandoning its claims to them.

It is worth noting that the territorial issue is the main point of disagreement in negotiations for a peace agreement, suggesting that it will remain so, as Moscow has so far shown no willingness to compromise on this matter.