Moscow, Kyiv (agencies)
Yesterday, Russia accused Ukraine of reneging on some of the proposals it made during talks in late March in Istanbul, which Moscow welcomed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a video clip that “the Ukrainian side presented to the negotiators a draft agreement, in which it is clear that it reverts to the most important items that were set on March 29 in Istanbul.”
He added, “The inability to reach a negotiated agreement again proves Kyiv’s true intentions and goal to prolong the negotiations, or even derail them by abandoning the understandings that were reached.”
He explained that in the text of the proposals presented in Turkey, the Ukrainian side excluded Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, from the guarantees of security and territorial integrity demanded by Kyiv, but in a new document presented yesterday, this clause did not exist.
In addition, Lavrov said, Ukrainians want Russian and Ukrainian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate face-to-face over Crimea and the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow recognized the independence of two separatist republics before the military operation.
Also, Lavrov predicted that “in the next stage, the Ukrainian side will certainly demand the withdrawal of forces, and will put forward new preconditions.”
“We see in this that the Kyiv regime is under the control of Washington and its allies, who are pushing President Zelensky to continue the fight,” he said.
However, he noted that Russia is “continuing negotiations”, announcing its own draft agreement without disclosing its content.
But Kyiv called on Moscow to “reduce its aggressiveness” in the negotiations, after Russia accused Ukraine of backtracking on some of the proposals.
“If Moscow wants to show that it is ready for dialogue, it should lower its level of aggression,” Mikhailo Podolyak, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky and a participant in the Ukrainian delegation to negotiations with Russia, wrote on Twitter.
A month and a half after the Russian military operation, talks are still continuing between Russia and Ukraine, without achieving any rapprochement in positions between the two countries, which is a prerequisite for the peace process.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba demanded yesterday that NATO member states provide his country with more weapons to fight Russian forces before it is too late.
On his arrival at NATO headquarters in Brussels to attend a meeting with his counterparts from member states, the foreign minister said, “I have come to ask for three things: weapons, weapons and then weapons, the sooner we receive them, the more lives will be saved and greater destruction averted.”
For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and we will listen to the needs that Dmytro Kuleba presents, and we will discuss how to respond to them.” “We need aircraft, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft systems,” the Ukrainian minister stressed.
“I call on all allies to put aside their hesitation and reluctance to provide Ukraine with everything it needs,” he added.
He continued, “It is clear that Germany can do more, given its reserves… We are working with the German government to provide us with additional weapons.”
He stressed that “the best way to help Ukraine at present is to provide it with everything it needs to contain and defeat the Russian army in Ukraine, on the territory of Ukraine, so that the military operation does not expand further.”
“We know how to fight, we know how to win, but without a sustainable and adequate supply of weapons required by Ukraine, this victory will require enormous sacrifices,” he said.
For her part, German Foreign Minister Annalina Birbock said: “We continue to support Ukraine to help it defend itself, but it is important for us to coordinate with each other, to act together and not act alone.” She suggested holding an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in May in Berlin.
A meeting of ministers of the member states of the Group of Seven will be held with the participation of Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi at the headquarters of the alliance before the plenary session of “NATO”.
“The goal of the G7 meeting is to make sure that we continue to put pressure on Russia,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said.
She added, “We also want to make sure that there are no loopholes, that in the heart of the West we coordinate, and that every judicial authority can impose strong sanctions on people, especially Vladimir Putin and the wealthy class associated with him, and also on important companies that fuel the military operation.”
The European Union is studying a new package of sanctions that includes, for the first time, measures targeting the energy sector, banning coal purchases from Russia, and closing European ports to Russian ships. The two daughters of Putin and a number of wealthy Russians are expected to be added to the EU blacklist.
“The ambassadors of the European Union countries should put the final touches on the agreement, which is supposed to be approved next Monday, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg,” said Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, upon his arrival at the alliance’s headquarters.
He stressed that “oil is not targeted in the fifth package of sanctions, but the matter will be discussed in Luxembourg, and a decision will be taken, sooner or later.” Borrell will chair the ministerial meeting in Luxembourg, after returning from Kyiv.
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