“Peace talks must resume, not with an ultimatum, but with common sense,” Putin said at a press conference in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Putin called on Ukraine to return to the negotiating table, but warned that the ultimate goal of the talks should be “the signing of legally binding documents,” and that a return to talks could not be based solely on the demands of one side. “(Return to talks) but based on the current situation on the ground. We are ready,” the Russian leader assured, but posing a question: “Who to negotiate with? This is not a trivial question (...). Russia is aware that the legitimacy of the current (Ukrainian) head of state has expired.” He continued: “One of the goals of the (international) conference that was announced in Switzerland is for the Western community, the sponsors of the current Kyiv regime, to confirm the legitimacy of the current or no longer current head of state.” When the time is right, Putin stressed, Moscow must have “absolute certainty” that it is talking to a “legitimate authority.” These statements by Putin come at a time when Russian troops are gaining ground both in the Donbas (eastern Ukraine) and on the second combat front that the Russian army has opened in Kharkiv (northeast). Ukraine has relied on financial and military aid from Western allies since Russia invaded the country on February 24, 2022. Kyiv’s allies have also imposed sanctions on key sectors of the Russian economy in an attempt to diminish Moscow’s ability to finance the war effort in Ukraine. Recent months have been marked by large-scale Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, while Kyiv’s forces have targeted locations in Russian territory near the border and in the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014. Now in its third year of war, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been facing a shortage of weapons and ammunition, despite repeated promises of aid from Western allies. More than 70 heads of state and government have so far confirmed their presence at the Conference for Peace in Ukraine, which will take place between June 15 and 16 in Switzerland, Swiss official sources said this week. Read Also: Kremlin prepares Putin's visit to North Korea (Portuguese version)