Senior officials in Russia and Ukraine have given conflicting opinions about the prospect of peace talks between the two sides. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appears to have put an end to any plans for peace talks. Ukraine: “Russia does not want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility”
Russia’s foreign minister appeared to dismiss any immediate prospect of peace talks over the Russia-Ukraine war, days after Russia’s president said he was ready to negotiate.
President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that the Kremlin is “ready to negotiate with all those involved on acceptable solutions,” blaming Kyiv for the lack of diplomatic progress so far. But the adviser to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, responded immediately and said that Putin “needs to return to reality”, and added: “Russia does not want negotiations, but is trying to avoid responsibility”.
On Monday, Ukraine’s position appeared to soften, with Foreign Minister Dmytro Koleva saying that while Ukraine wants to win the war, diplomacy still has an important role to play. Kolbe proposed a summit before the end of February that the United Nations would lead, although he said Russia should be invited only after it stands trial for war crimes in an international court.
But late last night, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared to put an end to any plans for peace talks.
He told the TASS news agency: “Our proposals for the demobilization and denazification of the territories under the control of the Ukrainian regime, the elimination of the threats to Russia’s security arising from there, including our new lands, are well known to the enemy. The simple point is to fulfill them in your favor, otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army.” .
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also dismissed Kolba’s remarks, telling the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that Russia “has never acted on conditions set by others – only our conditions and our common sense.”
It’s been 10 months since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and with no serious peace talks for months, millions of Ukrainians have fled their country and millions have been left without steady electricity due to Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.
But Ukraine says it will not negotiate until the last Russian soldier leaves its territory, Russia insists it will continue to fight until it achieves its goals. Putin said he believes the military action “protects our national interests and protects our citizens” and that any negotiations must be on his terms.
Ukraine argues that this would be unacceptable, as it would mean giving in to Russian demands and accepting the annexation of four Ukrainian regions.