Putin suggests USA should lift Ukraine's decree banning talks with Russia

If the United States believes that Kyiv is ready for peace talks then Washington should convince Zelensky to abolish his decree that banned negotiations with Russia with Putin being its president, Russian President Putin said.

"If the United States believes that Ukraine is ready for negotiations, then let Washington get Kyiv to cancel the decree that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed banning negotiations," Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum.

As long as Ukraine is trying to conduct its counter-offensive, Russia can not stop hostilities.

"We are not Trotskyists. Movement is everything — the final goal is nothing. This is a bad theory,” Putin said.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Ukraine was ready to start peace talks if Putin was ready for dialogue.

In early October, Zelensky approved the decision of the National Security Council of Ukraine to refuse negotiations with Russia with Putin taking office as Russia's President. Zelensky's decree came in response to Russia's move to incorporate the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions into the structure of the Russian Federation following the results of the September 30 referendum. Zelensky said that day that Ukraine was ready for negotiations with Russia, but with a different president.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later said that Zelensky could refuse that decision if American or British officials tell him to do so.

Answering a question about a new mobilisation, Putin noted that contract recruitment was currently underway in the country: 270,000 people have already signed up the contract. Last autumn, 300,000 people were called up as part of partial mobilisation. Over the past seven months, as many as 270,000 people have voluntarily signed up contracts for army service, Vladimir Putin said.

The process continues with 1,000-1,500 people coming to sign the contract every day, he added.