Russia stated when Ukraine could negotiate peace
(Dan Tri) – Russia believes that the more Ukraine delays negotiations with Moscow, the more difficult it will be to reach an agreement later.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Reuters).
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 12 that Ukraine could start peace negotiations when it exhausted its resources.
`I have the impression that they (Ukraine) want to make the best possible effort. Then, when their resources are close to zero, they will cease fire and start negotiations to replenish resources and restore combat capabilities.
President Putin said that many mediators asked him whether Russia was willing to stop hostilities and he said that it was difficult for Russia to stop hostilities in the face of Ukraine’s counterattack.
To have any chance of negotiations, Putin said, Ukraine must first lift its self-imposed ban on negotiations and explain what it wants.
On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that the longer Ukraine delays negotiations with Moscow, the more difficult it will be to reach an agreement later.
`President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that we will not give up negotiations, but those (in Ukraine) who avoid negotiations should understand that the more they delay, the more difficult it will be to reach an agreement later,`
`This is our official position. I repeat once again, based on the negotiation ban signed by (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky, that this position should not be questioned,` Mr. Lavrov added.
According to Foreign Minister Lavrov, the first step in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine must be to cancel the decree banning dialogue with Moscow signed by President Zelensky.
`I read the statement. Really strange. At least a year ago, or even earlier, I can’t remember clearly, Mr. Zelensky signed a decree banning all negotiations with the government of (the Russian President)
Previously, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that if Russia proposed to negotiate first, Ukraine would be the first party to participate in negotiations and the US would stand behind Kiev.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said last week that the conflict `cannot be ended by simply bringing the warring parties to the negotiating table`.
`It is necessary to win on the battlefield for Russia to become serious about peace negotiations,` Mr. Kuleba emphasized.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last year issued a decree banning all negotiations with President Putin’s government.
Russia affirmed its readiness for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, but any peace agreement must take into account `new territorial realities`.
Meanwhile, Kiev has repeatedly stated that peace talks will only take place when Moscow withdraws all troops and restores Ukraine’s territorial integrity according to the borders recognized in 1991.