Putin declares no personal guilt for deaths of Ukrainians
Russian president vladimir putin has abdicated responsibility for hostilities in Ukraine, shifting the blame to Kyiv and its Western allies. He stated this on the "Direct Line" broadcast.
"We do not consider ourselves responsible for the deaths of people, because we did not start this war. This war was started after the coup in Ukraine in 2014," the Kremlin leader said.
Putin made the corresponding statement in a comment to NBC News. To the journalist's remark that Donald Trump is promoting a peace plan, and Kyiv is demonstrating readiness for serious compromises, while Moscow continues to inflate military rhetoric, the russian dictator responded with another denial of his guilt.
Thus, putin was asked a direct question: will he bear personal responsibility for the deaths of Ukrainians and russians in 2026 if russia blocks the US President's peace initiative. In his response, putin reiterated the Kremlin's position that the conflict was caused by the change of power in Ukraine in 2014 and the subsequent events in Donbas. He said that russia had not recognized the self-proclaimed republics for a long time and had sought a peaceful settlement within the framework of the Minsk agreements, which, he said, had been violated by the Ukrainian side and Western countries. Commenting on the current situation, he positively assessed Donald Trump's initiatives, noting that the russian federation was ready to end the conflict through negotiations. Putin also added that during a meeting with the US President in Anchorage on August 15, 2025, the russian side expressed de facto agreement with the proposed American proposals. "Therefore, to say that we are rejecting something is wrong and has no basis. At previous meetings in Moscow, we were made proposals and asked to make certain compromises. When I arrived in Anchorage, I said that these would be difficult decisions for us, but we agree with the compromises offered to us," putin said.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, russian president vladimir putin said that Moscow was ready to further expand control over Ukrainian territories if it refused to negotiate an end to the war at the suggestion of the United States, and also allowed himself to make offensive statements against European politicians.