Putin is ready to talk amid the continued shelling of Ukrainian cities

• In a state television interview, Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is ready to talk. 
• His claims were made amid ongoing shelling of Ukrainian cities during the holiday weekend. 
• A leading think tank claims that Russian forces are becoming increasingly tired of their offensive attacks. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed he was ready to hold talks to end the conflict in Ukraine. However, he blamed the other side’s refusal to come to the table. The Associated Press reportedSunday 

The statements were taken from a state-television interview in which Putin stated that Russia was “prepared to negotiate some satisfactory outcomes with all the participating parties to this process”, but that “it is not us who refuse talks, it is them.” 

Putin attempted to justify Russia’s actions, stating that Moscow has no choice and that Russia was defending its national interests, those of its citizens, and the people.

The Russian president has already made comments about wanting to end the war.Reuters reported that he responded to criticisms about the ongoing conflict by Narendra Modi, Indian Prime Minister, in September during an in-person meeting held in Uzbekistan. Putin stated that he was aware of your position regarding the conflict in Ukraine and shared your concerns. We want this to stop as soon as possible.

Sunday’s claims were made after continued Russian attacks on Ukraine. 

Two alerts for air raids across the country were issued on Christmas Day. Local officials reported that three missiles struck Kramatorsk, a city in the partially occupied Donetsk Region. Pavlo Kyrylenko (the governor of Donetsk Oblast) stated that six rounds of shelling also struck Avdiivka.

Saturday at least 10 people were killedAfter Russian shells struck the Ukrainian city Kherson, 55 people were hurt. 

Mykhailo Podolyak was a adviser to the president of Ukraine. On Sunday, he tweeted that Russia didn’t want negotiations, and is only trying avoid responsibility. 

—Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) December 25, 2022

The Institute for the Study of WarWashington think tank, suggested that Russian war plans are weakening. 

The ISW reported December 24th that the Russian forces had slowed down in recent days in the Bakhmut, an eastern region of Ukraine. 

The UK Ministry of Defense stated that it’s highly possible that a similar incident will occur. shortage of munitions is the key limiting factor as forces struggle to maintain offensive operations in that region. 

According to the ISW, these developments could cause Russian forces to launch a tactical or operational pause. 

Ukrainians made it clear that they would continue to fight for independence throughout the holidays. Some Orthodox Ukrainians celebrated Christmas December 25 instead of January 7, in an attempt to break with Russian traditions. This was in keeping with the Russian Orthodox Church.  After the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is one of two Orthodox Christianity branches, agreed to the change, the shift was made. per AP.