Putin Talks Up Ceasefire Negotiations (Not For The First Time)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised the prospect of peace talks with Ukraine, sayingthat Brazil, China, or India could act as mediators in any such discussions. It should be noted that this is not the first time that Putin has appeared to be willing to back ceasefire discussions. He talked of a ceasefire along current frontlines in May, while in June said that talks could start if Ukraine withdrew its troops from the four regions annexed by Russia since the start of the war.

• Indeed, on 2 Sep Putin said "...It seems to me there will be a desire to really, not in words but in deeds, move on to peace negotiations and resolve these issues by peaceful means..."
• In the immediate aftermath of Putin's comments, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer offered his country as a potential location for talks. Austria is the EU member state most relianton Russian gas.
• Wires carrying comments from NATO Sec-Gen Jens Stoltenberg, who has entered his final month in office. Former Dutch PM Mark Rutte takes over on 1 Oct. Stoltenberg says that Ukraine has 'achieved a lot' in its Kursk offensive, and that it is 'hard to say how it will develop, [it is] up to Ukraine how to make the difficult choices needed ahead.'
• On the use of long-range missiles against Russia, Stoltenberg says 'Ukraine has a right to self-defence...We have an ongoing discussion about this within NATO...It is important that Ukraine has the possibility to reach military targets on Russian territory.'