Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Moscow does not see any desire in Ukraine to meet the terms of what he described as a "preliminary peace agreement" agreed in March, reports Reuters.
Speaking to reporters after visiting Iran, Putin said that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are offering to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
On February 24, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine.
Reuters reports that the Government of Ukraine did not immediately respond to Putin's remarks.
Asked about a possible meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin said Kiev had not adhered to the terms of a preliminary peace deal he said was "practically reached" in March, but did not elaborate.
"The final result, of course... depends on the willingness of the contracting parties to implement the agreements that have been reached. Today we see that the authorities in Kyiv have no such desire," Putin said.
Reuters states that the negotiations were conducted in March, and that both sides made proposals, but without progress.
Zelenski then said that only the concrete result of the talks can be trusted.
Putin met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Tuesday, deepening ties between the two countries, both of which are under Western sanctions.
During his visit to Iran, Putin also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss a deal to restore Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports, now blocked by Russia.
Russia was ready to facilitate Ukraine's grain exports across the Black Sea, but also wanted the remaining restrictions on Russian grain exports removed, Putin said, shown by state-run Russia TV answering media questions at the end of a visit to Iran.
The Russian leader said on Tuesday that not all issues related to grain deliveries have been resolved yet, "but the fact that there is movement is already good."
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