(CNN) — A US official commented to CNN on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s use of the word “war” Thursday when speaking to reporters about the battles his forces are waging in Ukraine, which he often describes as a “special military operation.”
The US official said the initial assessment that Putin described Russia’s involvement in Ukraine as a “war” was not intentional.
He added that there is a belief in the United States that the word was likely a “slip of the tongue” given the context of Putin’s remarks. However, American officials will be watching closely to see what is said inside the Kremlin, from officials such as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, about it in the coming days.
Since he invaded Ukraine, the Russian president has refrained from using the word “war” and instead claimed it was a “special military operation”.
Putin, a former KGB officer who chooses his words carefully, told reporters in Moscow: “Our goal is to end this war, and we will continue to strive for it.”
In response to a journalist’s question about whether there is a real opportunity for diplomacy in Ukraine, he replied: “All disputes and armed conflicts end in one way or another with some kind of negotiations.”
Putin continued, “We never refused, it was the Ukrainian leadership that itself refused to conduct negotiations,” adding that “sooner or later, any party to the conflict will sit down and negotiate, and the sooner our opponents realize this, the better.” That never.”
He added about the US decision to provide Ukraine with the Patriot system: “With regard to the Patriot system, this is an old system, and it does not work like the S-300 system, and they think that this is a defensive weapon, but this is in their minds, we will find a solution, and those who do it are lost Their time, it only delays the conflict.”
