• On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow did not perceive any motivation on the part of Ukraine 
• Putin claimed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were willing to act as mediators between Russia and Ukraine, which Moscow’s soldiers invaded in late February, in televised remarks to reporters following a trip to Iran.
• The Ukrainian administration did not immediately respond to Putin’s comments from early on Wednesday.

Putin stated that Moscow did not perceive any motivation on the part of Ukraine to adhere to the provisions of what he described as a tentative peace agreement reached in March.

Putin claimed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were willing to act as mediators between Russia and Ukraine, which Moscow’s soldiers invaded in late February, in televised remarks to reporters following a trip to Iran.

The Ukrainian administration did not immediately respond to Putin’s comments from early on Wednesday.

When questioned about a potential meeting with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Putin said Kyiv had broken the terms of an initial peace agreement that he claimed had been “practically reached” in March. He did not elaborate.

“Of course, the willingness of the contracting parties to carry out the decisions made will determine the outcome. Today, it is clear that Kiev’s ruling elite has no such intention.”

Both parties made offers during the March negotiations, but there was no progress. Zelenskiy asserted at the time that only a tangible outcome from the negotiations could be trusted.

Tuesday’s meeting between Putin and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, deepened relations between the two countries, which are both subject to Western sanctions.

Putin met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Iran to explore an agreement that would allow Ukraine to resume its blockaded Black Sea grain shipments.

Putin, who was interviewed by Rossiya state TV during his visit to Iran, stated that Russia was willing to help Ukraine sell grain across the Black Sea but also wanted the remaining restrictions on Russian grain exports to be lifted.

The Russian president had stated on Tuesday that not all of the problems with grain imports had been handled yet, but that “the fact that there is movement is already excellent.”

Putin spoke with the head of NATO for the first time since Russian soldiers invaded, and it was a direct message to the West about Russian aspirations to build tighter strategic connections with Iran, China, and India to help counteract Western sanctions brought on by the war.

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