Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the war in Ukraine could be ended through negotiations \u201cif common sense prevails,\u201d a solution he said he preferred. However, he added that he was prepared to achieve an end by force if no other option remained. Speaking in Beijing at the end of a visit that resulted in an agreement on a new gas pipeline to China, Putin said he perceived \u201ca certain light at the end of the tunnel\u201d, given what he said were sincere efforts by the United States to find a settlement to Europe\u2019s biggest land war since World War Two. \u201cIt seems to me that if common sense prevails, it will be possible to agree on an acceptable solution to end this conflict. That is my assumption,\u201d Putin told reporters. \u201cEspecially since we can see the mood of the current US administration under President (Donald) Trump, and we see not just their statements, but their sincere desire to find this solution\u2026 And I think there is a certain light at the end of the tunnel. Let\u2019s see how the situation develops,\u201d he said.\u201cIf not, then we will have to resolve all the tasks before us by force of arms.\u201d However, Putin indicated no willingness to soften his long-standing demands, including that Kyiv abandon any idea of joining NATO and that it end what Moscow says is discrimination against Russian speakers. An engineer walks next to a Ukrainian train, which was hit by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine. \u2013 Reuters He said he was ready to hold talks with Volodymyr Zelensky if the Ukrainian president came to Moscow, but that any such meeting had to be well prepared and lead to tangible results. Ukraine\u2019s foreign minister dismissed as \u201cunacceptable\u201d the suggestion of Moscow as a venue for such a meeting. FAR APART Zelensky has been pressing to meet Putin to discuss the terms of a possible deal even though the two sides remain far apart. He has urged Washington to impose further sanctions on Russia if Putin does not agree. Trump \u2013 who has been trying to broker a peace settlement \u2013 has also said he wants the two leaders to meet and has threatened, but not yet imposed, secondary sanctions on Russia. Putin said he would prefer to end the war diplomatically, \u201cby peaceful means\u201d, if possible. Russia claims to have annexed four Ukrainian regions, a claim Kyiv and most Western countries reject as an illegal land grab backed by a colonial-style war of conquest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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