Russia is ready to negotiate and settle peacefully all the problems arising in recent years, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday at an expanded meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry board.
At the meeting, Putin also slammed the West for initiating the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"We, as before, are ready to negotiate and are ready to resolve all the problems that have arisen in recent years peacefully," Putin said.
The Russian leader did not specify the exact nature of these problems but blamed the West for the escalation of the 2022 conflict.
"It wasn't us who started the war in 2022. It was the destructive forces in Ukraine, supported by the West. In essence, the West itself unleashed this war. We are only trying to end it," he asserted.
Noting that the previous U.S. administration had deliberately steered the situation toward armed confrontation, Putin said that Russia is currently engaged in dialogue with the current U.S. administration, and expressed his hope for similar talks with Europe.
On the future development of the Russian military, the president emphasized the necessity of maintaining technological superiority.
He outlined it as a key task that the Russian army must continue to remain at the forefront of technological progress, which necessitates the rapid introduction of robotics, information technology, and new materials into the military, as well as the expanded use of artificial intelligence technologies in control systems and autonomous combat systems.
Putin says Russia ready to negotiate peaceful settlement of all problems arising in recent years
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have reaffirmed that they will not seek normalization of ties with Israel, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's call for the two countries to join the Abraham Accords.
Saudi Arabia's position on the Palestinian issue remains unchanged, a Saudi source told Al Arabiya TV on Monday.
The source affirmed the need for "an irreversible pathway to a Palestinian state".
The remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Muslim-majority and regional countries to normalize relations with Israel and join the Abraham Accords before the U.S. reaches a peace agreement with Iran.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it would not normalize relations with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that Pakistan will not join any agreement to normalize ties with Israel, adding that the country will not accept any deal that "conflicts with its fundamental ideologies".
Trump on Monday urged Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan -- countries involved in mediating U.S.-Iran talks -- to immediately join the Abraham Accords, warning that otherwise they should not participate in the mediation.
He added that if a U.S.-Iran deal is reached, Iran should also join the agreement.
The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States in 2020 during Trump's first term, were established between the Israeli government and Arab countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, aimed at rapidly advancing the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries.
Before the outbreak of the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, the United States had been pushing for normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
After the conflict erupted, Saudi Arabia suspended normalization talks with Israel.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan reject Trump's Abraham Accords demand
