President of Ukraine Zelensky spoke about peace with Russia and called the conditions for negotiations
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called the conditions for negotiations with Russia. His statement came after information appeared in some Western media about US attempts to push Kyiv into a dialogue with Moscow.
The requirements of the Ukrainian leader were compensation for all losses caused as a result of the special military operation (SVO), restoration of the integrity of the country’s territory, respect for the UN Charter, punishment of war criminals, and guarantees that the SVO will not happen again. In addition, Zelensky for the first time did not demand that Russia return to the 1991 borders.
How the West is trying to push Zelensky to negotiate with Russia
According to The Washington Post, the administration of US President Joe Biden calls on the head of Ukraine to show openness to negotiations with Moscow. At the same time, the White House insisted that the Ukrainian side publicly refuse to take part in peace talks as long as Vladimir Putin is Russian President.
This policy was explained by the intention not to push Ukraine to dialogue, but by the desire to “preserve moral dignity in the eyes of its international supporters.” According to The Washington Post sources, this is a “deliberate attempt” to ensure the support of Kyiv from other states, who are afraid of prolonging the Ukrainian crisis.
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The newspaper La Repubblica reports that the American side and the NATO states allowed the start of negotiations on the conflict in Ukraine if Kherson is captured by Kyiv. According to the publication, the United States believes that the battle for the city is of great diplomatic and strategic importance. As specified, therefore, NATO confirmed the delivery of a batch of air defense missiles to Kyiv.
Washington assumes that the capture of Kherson by Ukraine will be able to change the course of the NMD. Thus, Kyiv will be able to start a dialogue from a position of strength. The newspaper noted that the United States is considering such a scenario due to fears of increasing Chinese influence on Russia, as well as the threat of Moscow using nuclear weapons.
Russia’s position on negotiations with Ukraine
On November 7, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was still open to talks with Kyiv. However, due to Ukraine’s refusal, dialogue is impossible. He recalled that the Ukrainian authorities at the legislative level secured “the non-continuation of any negotiations with the Russian side.”
Peskov did not comment on Western media statements about US influence on Kyiv. The Kremlin spokesman stressed that there are truthful reports, but for the most part they are “absolute speculation and pure lies.”
On October 31, Putin, speaking about a dialogue with Ukraine, suggested waiting until the “good will” of the republic’s authorities matures to continue negotiations.
How can we now discuss possible agreements if the other side does not even want to talk to us? Well we’ll wait
The President recalled that Russia’s position on this issue is known and “is not subject to any changes or doubts.” Putin drew attention to the need to “sit down at the negotiating table and negotiate” in order to reach agreements.
Also, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrei Rudenko noted that Washington does not play a role in the dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv. In addition, as he claims, the Russian side has not proposed any preconditions for Ukraine. Rudenko stressed that the spring talks failed through no fault of Russia.
Results of past negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv
On April 20, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow had handed over to Kyiv “a draft document with clear language” on a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. The initiative was on the side of Kyiv, “we are waiting for an answer,” he said.
Photo: Sergey Karpukhin / RIA Novosti
In March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed with Zelensky a meeting of Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul. In his opinion, the talks held on March 29 gave a significant impetus to the ongoing process of ending the conflict in Ukraine and establishing peace.
The third round of dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv ended on March 7. The talks between the parties in Belarus lasted about three hours. On February 28, Russia and Ukraine held the first stage. Negotiations began at approximately 14:00 Moscow time and lasted almost five hours, and the second round took place on March 3.
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