Are the peace talks coming? Russia and Ukraine are ready to sit down and talk
Moscow said it was ready to talk about “acceptable solutions”, and Kiev said it agreed to hold meetings at the United Nations, but only on the condition that Russia take responsibility for the military actions it carries out
Ukraine said on Monday that it was ready to start peace talks at the United Nations as early as the end of February – but would agree to Russia taking part in them only on the condition that its leaders stand trial for war crimes at the International Criminal Court.
Russian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kolba told the AP news agency: “Every war ends diplomatically. Every war ends as a result of the actions taken on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.”
“The rooms of the United Nations could be the best place to hold this summit, because it’s not about doing a favor to a particular country. It’s really about bringing everyone to the table,” Kolba added, but insisted that Moscow should bear responsibility for the atrocities committed by its military: ” This is the only way to invite her to this step.”
Kolba’s words come a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin is “ready to negotiate with all parties involved, on acceptable solutions” to bring an end to the ten-month-old war. “We are not the ones who refuse to negotiate, they do,” Putin told Russian television.
“I believe we are acting in the right direction, we are protecting our national interests, its citizens and our people. We have no choice but to protect our citizens,” the president added.
In a speech on the floor of Congress last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with President Joe Biden about peace plans, and said the American president had given him his full support.
In a recent interview, Kolba said he was “absolutely satisfied” with Zelensky’s visit to Washington, during which the Biden administration announced it would provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile defense battery and billions of dollars in aid.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West on Monday that its continued involvement in the war would have a negative impact on the world economy, noting that in the end, the West will have to involve itself in the negotiations “whether it wants to or not.”
“We will focus on those who have never disappointed us and with whom we sometimes reached very difficult compromises,” said Lavrov. “But when they were achieved, but one never deceived anyone. With the West, everything is exactly the opposite.”
? Did the article interest you?