The mayor of Odessa, Gennady Trukhanov, said that it is necessary to negotiate with Russia and seek compromises. An interview with him was published on August 29 by an Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
He noted the importance of political negotiations, as “the lives of millions of people are at stake.”
“Of course, I would like to return our borders of 1991, but this must be done step by step, compromises must be found, and wall-to-wall logic should be avoided,” the Odessa mayor emphasized.
The actions of the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation to protect Donbass, he called “generally correct.” However, Trukhanov criticized the fact that the country’s president did not grant more autonomy to the regions and municipalities.
“If he had listened to the recommendations, everything would have worked better,” he shared his opinion.
Speaking about the possibility of demolishing the monument to Empress Catherine II in Odessa, the mayor of the city recalled that he was against it. He stressed that it was she who founded the city, and the demolition of the monument is meaningless.
On August 26, Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, called possible negotiations with Russia a “death sentence” for Kyiv. According to him, the head of state clearly opposes such an outcome.
On August 24, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, indicated that Russia was counting on resolving the conflict in Ukraine through negotiations. According to him, negotiations can take place provided that the goals and objectives of the special operation set by Moscow are fulfilled.
On August 13, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, said that peace negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian sides would mean a victory for Russia. He noted that at the moment Kyiv has no reason to resume peace talks.
The delegations of Russia and Ukraine held four face-to-face meetings as part of the negotiations. The first three took place in Belarus, and the last one on March 29 in Istanbul. Then the assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and the head of the negotiating group, Vladimir Medinsky, said that Russia had received written proposals from Ukraine confirming its desire for a neutral and non-nuclear status.
However, Kyiv did not respond to Moscow’s proposals sent later, and on May 17, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko announced Ukraine’s de facto withdrawal from the negotiation process.
On February 24, Russia announced the start of a special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass. It began against the backdrop of the situation in the region that worsened in mid-February. Then the authorities of the DPR and LPR reported on the increased shelling by the Ukrainian troops, announced the evacuation of the civilian population in the Russian Federation and asked for recognition of independence. On February 21, the President of the Russian Federation signed the corresponding decrees.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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