04:02Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the 2022 Istanbul agreements on Ukraine were still 'on the table' and could serve as a 'basis' for continuing talks between Moscow and Kiev, while addressing a meeting of the SCO Plus format in Astana on Thursday.
"The Istanbul agreements have not gone anywhere thanks to the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr Erdogan, who took part in this work as a mediator. They were initialed by the head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation," he claimed.
"It means that, apparently, they were quite satisfactory to Ukraine. These agreements, the Istanbul agreements, remain on the table and can be used as a basis for continuing these negotiations. The SCO member states co-ordinate their actions on the international track, including on the UN platform," he continued.
The leader also stressed that Russia had never "refused and is not refusing now to continue the peace talks" with Ukraine and thanked the SCO member countries for the 'specific proposals' to peacefully settle the conflict.
Russia, Ukraine and Western countries have previously disagreed over the extent and content of the Istanbul talks, which came at the start of the ongoing conflict - and over the role of British PM Boris Johnson who Moscow claimed had prevented a deal.
According to media reports, Davyd Arakhamia - the leader of Ukraine's Servant of the People group - claimed in 2023 that Russia had promised an end to hostilities if Kiev agreed to not join NATO, but that Ukraine had believed it was not a genuine offer. Arakhamia added that Johnson had urged them to 'just fight' - while the former PM denies interfering.
The 24th SCO Heads of State Council meeting chaired by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was scheduled for July 3-4.
At the meetings, leaders discussed the results of the SCO's activities for 2023-2024 and considered co-operation in the political, security, economic and humanitarian spheres. The participants also signed more than 20 documents.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Istanbul agreements remain 'on the table' and can be basis for further negotiations on Ukraine - Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the 2022 Istanbul agreements on Ukraine were still 'on the table' and could serve as a 'basis' for continuing talks between Moscow and Kiev, while addressing a meeting of the SCO Plus format in Astana on Thursday.
"The Istanbul agreements have not gone anywhere thanks to the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr Erdogan, who took part in this work as a mediator. They were initialed by the head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation," he claimed.
"It means that, apparently, they were quite satisfactory to Ukraine. These agreements, the Istanbul agreements, remain on the table and can be used as a basis for continuing these negotiations. The SCO member states co-ordinate their actions on the international track, including on the UN platform," he continued.
The leader also stressed that Russia had never "refused and is not refusing now to continue the peace talks" with Ukraine and thanked the SCO member countries for the 'specific proposals' to peacefully settle the conflict.
Russia, Ukraine and Western countries have previously disagreed over the extent and content of the Istanbul talks, which came at the start of the ongoing conflict - and over the role of British PM Boris Johnson who Moscow claimed had prevented a deal.
According to media reports, Davyd Arakhamia - the leader of Ukraine's Servant of the People group - claimed in 2023 that Russia had promised an end to hostilities if Kiev agreed to not join NATO, but that Ukraine had believed it was not a genuine offer. Arakhamia added that Johnson had urged them to 'just fight' - while the former PM denies interfering.
The 24th SCO Heads of State Council meeting chaired by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was scheduled for July 3-4.
At the meetings, leaders discussed the results of the SCO's activities for 2023-2024 and considered co-operation in the political, security, economic and humanitarian spheres. The participants also signed more than 20 documents.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the 2022 Istanbul agreements on Ukraine were still 'on the table' and could serve as a 'basis' for continuing talks between Moscow and Kiev, while addressing a meeting of the SCO Plus format in Astana on Thursday.
"The Istanbul agreements have not gone anywhere thanks to the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr Erdogan, who took part in this work as a mediator. They were initialed by the head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation," he claimed.
"It means that, apparently, they were quite satisfactory to Ukraine. These agreements, the Istanbul agreements, remain on the table and can be used as a basis for continuing these negotiations. The SCO member states co-ordinate their actions on the international track, including on the UN platform," he continued.
The leader also stressed that Russia had never "refused and is not refusing now to continue the peace talks" with Ukraine and thanked the SCO member countries for the 'specific proposals' to peacefully settle the conflict.
Russia, Ukraine and Western countries have previously disagreed over the extent and content of the Istanbul talks, which came at the start of the ongoing conflict - and over the role of British PM Boris Johnson who Moscow claimed had prevented a deal.
According to media reports, Davyd Arakhamia - the leader of Ukraine's Servant of the People group - claimed in 2023 that Russia had promised an end to hostilities if Kiev agreed to not join NATO, but that Ukraine had believed it was not a genuine offer. Arakhamia added that Johnson had urged them to 'just fight' - while the former PM denies interfering.
The 24th SCO Heads of State Council meeting chaired by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was scheduled for July 3-4.
At the meetings, leaders discussed the results of the SCO's activities for 2023-2024 and considered co-operation in the political, security, economic and humanitarian spheres. The participants also signed more than 20 documents.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.