European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, rejected the concept of equal negotiations between Moscow and Kiev. His words are quotes area EC.
“The Ukrainians most want peace, but of course a just peace. Peace talks that equate the aggressor and the victim should be rejected. We must support the President’s efforts [Украины Владимира] Zelensky will rally support for his peaceful formula,
said.
Von der Leyen also stated once again that the G7 countries will provide weapons and financial aid to Ukraine “as necessary”, reminding the European initiative to produce ammunition for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and saying that the European Union has made sacrifices. There is a lot for Ukraine:
“Together we paid a high price for Russia. [спецоперацию]. The EU alone banned about 55% of pre-war exports to Russia (€50 billion per year) and more than 60% (€90 billion) of pre-war imports to deprive Moscow of advanced goods and technology and reduce its vital sources of income. . ”
To Von der Leyen’s words on his Telegram channel answered Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia. In general, he agrees with the impossibility of equal negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, but for different reasons.
“What equal negotiations can be made with a Nazi state halfway through external scrutiny? You can only talk to the owners. More precisely, only with Washington. There is no other contact. And only about the conditions of the post-war world order. Although it is too early to talk about this. Therefore, there is no need for any negotiations at this time.”
He wrote.
At the beginning of March 19, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Siyato said in an interview with RIA Novosti that Budapest is ready to provide a platform for a peaceful solution in Moscow and Kiev. According to him, even at the beginning of the SVO he invited his Russian and Ukrainian colleagues Sergey Lavrov and Andrey Yermak to meet in Hungary, and this offer is still in force.
He also pointed out that Hungary borders Ukraine and “pays a high price” for this conflict: “In Ukraine lives a large Hungarian diaspora, whose members are mobilized into the Ukrainian army, sent to the front, and most of them sadly die. We do it because peace is the only way to save lives.”
As a result, Szijjarto noted that Western countries’ attempts “do not work in favor of peace”.
The previous day, Zelensky requested a peaceful summit at the G7 ground in Hiroshima without Russian involvement, the Financial Times reported. According to the publication, the discussion should be conducted in line with Zelensky’s 10-point “peace plan” announced in mid-November 2022.
Until recently, Zelensky’s full-time presence in Hiroshima was questionable, but it was learned that he would speak to delegates online on the evening of May 18.
Possibility of negotiation
On May 18, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Moscow could reach an unfavorable agreement on resolving the conflict during negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul in March last year. According to him, the Russian Federation accepted peace initiatives, but later the project was “trashed”. Lukashenka added that this deal is on his table.
“If Russia was reading it now, it would go crazy. It was absolutely unprofitable for Russia. But Russia accepted it,” he said.
Also on May 15, China’s Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui is on a European tour. He has already visited Ukraine, Poland, France and Germany to discuss the crisis. He also needs to visit Brussels and Moscow.
During his visit, he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba. According to the agency, Kuleba called Kiev’s proposals for the loss of part of the territories or the freezing of the conflict unacceptable.
In February 2023, China presented its 12-point plan to resolve the conflict. Beijing specifically called for the respect of the sovereignty of all countries, the cessation of hostilities, the resumption of negotiations and the lifting of unilateral sanctions. When Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Moscow in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Beijing’s proposals could form the basis for a diplomatic solution to the conflict in the future. Zelensky reacted generally negatively to the Beijing initiative, calling it “reflections on the matter”.
At the same time, it was learned that on May 16, African countries had prepared their proposals for the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In the coming weeks, a delegation of African countries plans to visit Moscow and Kiev.
Putin and Zelensky agreed to receive African delegates. The main provisions of the African initiative have not been officially announced.
According to information from Pretoria (South Africa), the proposal includes an immediate ceasefire and the transformation of the UN into the main platform for resolving the conflict.
In particular, on May 12, telephone conversations took place between Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in which the Russian leader stated that Moscow never abandons “work on the diplomatic path”.