Kyiv prepares for a “hard autumn”
Ukraine is increasingly hearing calls from various states to negotiate with Russia to end the armed conflict. This is “Strana.ua” writes in an interview with journalist Vadym Karpyak by the country’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba.
This voice does not come from the authorities, but these voices are getting louder. “We will do everything within the framework of international law and criminal law so that these voices are not lost,” he said.
New York Times Wrote In early August, about increasing pressure from the Allies on Kiev to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict with the Russian Federation.
On Wednesday, Zelenskiy told his diplomats that the situation will become more difficult in the coming months as pressure to find ways to negotiate peace will increase.
Kuleba confirmed that Ukraine is in a “difficult autumn” and a “difficult political period”. The minister announced that Kiev will participate in numerous summits, where it is necessary to ensure the “quantitative and qualitative presence of not only the US and European allies, but also the whole world.”
Under what conditions is Kiev ready for negotiations?
Kuleba gave an interview to an Italian newspaper three days ago. Corriere della Seradeclared that the country was ready to start the negotiation process with Russia through an intermediary and after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine’s territory it considered to be its own.
“We can negotiate with Russia after we withdraw its troops from our lands, but we can negotiate with (President Vladimir) Putin,” the diplomat said.
He added that Kiev used both military and diplomatic methods for its goals. Kuleba dismissed the possibility of Zelensky and Putin meeting at the same negotiating table. He also does not find the Vatican’s mediation in the peaceful resolution of the conflict promising, but highlights the contributions of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Erdogan, who contributed to the signing of the grain agreement.
Matthew Miller, Press Officer for the U.S. Department of State, earlier this week approvedCurrently, Russia and Ukraine are not holding any peace talks. According to the American official, Moscow does not show any interest in this.
At the initiative of Kiev, Russia and Ukraine stopped formal negotiations in May last year. In October, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree that the country will not continue the negotiation process with the Russian Federation while Putin is holding the presidency.
The Ukrainian leader opposes diplomatic resolution of the situation without the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, because in this case the conflict will not be resolved, but frozen.
What do they say about the negotiations in Russia?
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov at the end of June declaration On the absence of prerequisites for the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations. According to him, with the current position of Ukraine regarding any talks with Russia, a peaceful resolution of the conflict is not possible. The official also stressed that any peace initiative should result from the Russian ownership of regions such as the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova 7 August spoke On whether Russia is ready for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. As the diplomat noted, Moscow was and remains open to negotiations and is ready to consider really serious proposals.
Putin too declared readiness to seek options for peaceful resolution of the situation with the neighboring country. But according to the head of state, it was Kiev that refused the dialogue. The president stressed that now the peacekeeping process is entirely dependent on Ukraine.