Blinken Slams Putin For Demanding Recognition Of Ukraine's Annexed Territories: 'Nothing To Negotiate'

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected Russia's demand to recognize the recently annexed territories of Ukraine for negotiations with Vladimir Putin. 

What Happened: Blinken said Russia's demand for Ukraine to recognize the new territorial realities cannot be the starting point for negotiations on a settlement in the Ukraine war.

"There had been a narrative that the Russians were trying to push for many weeks and many months that they're interested in diplomacy in Ukraine and we are not. That of course is entirely false," Blinken said.

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"I think you only have to look at Putin's own words in a recent conversation with President Erdoğan of Türkiye in which he says unless and until Ukraine accepts the new territorial realities, as he put it, there's nothing to negotiate. In other words, unless and until Ukraine acknowledges and accepts the fact that the territory that Russia has seized by force, it's not getting back, there's nothing to negotiate. That of course is in and of itself a nonstarter," he added. 

This came a week after a Russian foreign ministry diplomat pushed for negotiations with Kyiv and said the parties must consider Russia's recently annexed territories of Ukraine in the event of a possible resumption of negotiations.

Meanwhile, in a call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin slammed the U.S. and its allies for sending military aid to Kyiv as he criticized Ukraine's "destructive" policies and blamed the West for atrocities in the war-torn nation.

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