MOSCOW, Sept 25 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that all proposals for a settlement in the 4-1/2-year-old war with Ukraine remained on the table, but Moscow still needed to assess what was in its best interest, Russian news agencies reported.
Putin, addressing Russian journalists, also said that Moscow had been ready to resume negotiations with Kyiv after last week’s Russian parliamentary elections, but Ukraine had launched attacks on Moscow and hit polling stations.
The Russian president said it was Ukraine that had launched provocative attacks and would now have to pay the price of a sustained response.
“They are the ones who started it. Everywhere, on every front. Are these playthings, child’s play?” Putin told reporters.
“They should therefore be made to feel Russia’s retaliatory strikes and understand that no provocative actions, no stirring up the situation to secure a result will work. They’re only making things worse for themselves.”
He said these actions stood behind Ukraine’s calls for a ceasefire and a resumption of talks.
“They are all on the table. It’s all possible,” he said. “But after everything they have done, we will still have to think carefully about what we need to do in response.”
(Reporting by Maxim Rodionov. Writing by Marina Bobrova. Editing by Toby Chopra, Ron Popeski and Mark Potter)
