Russia Won't Accept Any Ultimatums on Ukraine - Putin

Russia wants to understand whom it can trust before engaging with partners on the Ukrainian conflict, President Vladimir Putin said during a trip to China on Friday.

"We must understand with whom and how we can engage and whom and to what degree we can trust. We are of course analyzing everything that is going on," Putin told a press conference in Harbin.

The president pointed to China as a stakeholder that was sincerely trying to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

"We believe that China is sincere about its efforts to solve this problem. It has suggested different options and has been very flexible about it," Putin said.

Commenting on the Swiss initiative on Ukrainian peace, the Russian president stressed that Moscow would not accept ultimatums.

"It is clear what this event is all about: bringing together as many countries as possible to claim that they have everything agreed on and then giving Russia an ultimatum," Putin said, adding he would not have it.

Russia is keeping tabs on the preparations for the Swiss conference on Ukraine, which is due on June 15-16, the president said.

"We are of course analyzing everything happening in this regard. We are watching everything that has to do with the planned meeting in Switzerland," he confirmed.

Putin suggested that Ukraine and its donors were trying to force Kiev’s vision of a peace deal on Russia but warned that such attempts were doomed to fail.

"First they tried to deal a strategic defeat but failed. Any attempt to force [Russia’s] hand will have the same result," the president warned.

Russia will accept an invitation to peace negotiations as agreed in Istanbul in 2022, Putin said.

"We have a framework for negotiating process, which is what we agreed on in Istanbul … The head of the Ukrainian delegation signed up to that long document. He initialed it. We have a document with his signature on it," the president said.

The Russian president again accused the regime in Kiev of usurping power illegally and allowing a simmering conflict in Donbas to boil over.

"They allowed a coup to happen with the support of Western sponsors. They organized it and created conditions for a simmering conflict to become an armed one. They are to blame for this, but they are trying to … hold Russia responsible for these tragic events," he explained.

Putin said that he was in constant contact with Volodymyr Zelensky before the acute phase of the conflict.

"We communicated with him [Zelensky] before, were in constant contact before the conflict entered the acute phase of armed struggle," Putin said.

When asked about Zelensky's legitimacy as the president of Ukraine, Putin said that this question must first be answered by the political and legal system of Ukraine itself, adding that his legitimacy is important for Russia if it is necessary to sign documents.

Ukraine was due to hold a presidential election on March 31, but it was called off due to martial law and general mobilization. Zelensky, who was sworn into office in May 2019, said it was "not the right time" for elections.

The agreements reached in Istanbul on Ukraine should be in force and all possible peace talks need to be based on them, Putin said.

"Well, of course it is a basis, you know? They initialed it, the document itself is not signed. There are very serious issues there. You know, there are issues related to ensuring the security of Ukraine. They are written in such a way that we still have to think about it. But in general, this is the basis," Putin told a press conference following his visit to China.

Russia is ready to participate in peace talks on Ukraine, but it is not invited to the conference in Switzerland, Putin added.

"They do not invite us. Moreover, they say that they do not see us there," Putin said at a press conference following his visit to China.

Russia not going to discuss something it does not know about, but any attempts to impose on Russia its terms for settlement in Ukraine will end in same way as attempt to inflict strategic defeat, Putin said, adding that even Kiev sees that it is unable to inflict strategic defeat on Russia.

Russia will be forced to create a buffer zone because of shelling by Ukrainian armed forces of residential neighborhoods in the the Russian city of Belgorod, Vladimir Putin stressed.

"They are shelling the city center, in residential areas. And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a buffer zone," Putin said.

Russia's Belgorod Region, bordering Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkov regions, has been targeted repeatedly by the Ukrainian military, including in drone attacks.

It if necessary to understand whether French troops will be deployed to Ukraine, and then consider possible options, Putin added.

"I am not the French president, I do not make decisions ... First, you will get an answer to your question: if there will be troops there or not. And then we will consider the possible consequences of this step," Putin told a press conference following his visit to China.