After failing to seize Kyiv in a stumbling offensive and a war of attrition in Donbas, Vladimir Putin may have finally had enough.
At least that what's Russia's de facto president suggested in conversation on Wednesday. At a virtual meeting, Putin told leaders of the G20 it was necessary to think about ending “the tragedy” he started in Ukraine.
The remarks came amid his first appearance with leaders of the world's largest economies since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor 637 days before.
A Ukrainian counteroffensive earlier this year failed to achieve a breakthrough. Still, Russia has not occupied more than one-fifth of Ukraine at a cost of some 300,000 dead and injured.
“Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy,” Putin acknowledged during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy,” the Russian leader added. “By the way, Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine.”
Mr. Putin repeated Russia's official line that the Kremlin was ready to negotiate and blamed Ukraine for rejecting talks. “Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine,” Mr. Putin said. “It was Ukraine, not Russia, which publicly announced that it was withdrawing from the negotiating process.”
But for all his talk of negotiation, Mr. Putin has shown no willingness to relent from his goal of bringing Ukraine back under Russian dominance, let alone to reverse his declaration last year that four southern and eastern Ukrainian regions are part of Russia — including territory that Russia's military does not control.
Ukraine has cited the need to liberate all of its territory occupied by Russia before it can negotiate for peace.
Mr. Putin also listed various grievances Russia holds against the West, such as the 2014 overthrow in Ukraine of its Russia-leaning president, Viktor F. Yanukovych.
Putin's language, possibly an attempt to garner favor with his democratically-elected counterparts, didn't go unnoticed.
At the same time, he resorted to a favorite Kremlin line of misleadingly accusing the West of transgressions while ignoring its own.
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