Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia continued on Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted the people behind him if concessions were to be made.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said any concessions with Russia in negotiations to end the war should be the subject of a referendum among the Ukrainian people, Reuters news agency writes.
“People should have their say and respond to various forms of settlement,” Zelensky told Ukraine’s Sospilin TV channel.
– The President said that what you mean (Settlements, daily), is the background to our conversations – without saying anything about how such a referendum could be conducted.
Russia demands, among other things, that Ukraine declare itself neutral, not seek NATO membership, demilitarize and accept Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, reports NUPI-Researcher Jakob Godzimirski to VG on Sunday.
Will meet Putin
Zelensky has repeatedly sought high-level talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the Kremlin responded There is no basis for a possible meeting between the chiefs.
There must be results first. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, was quoted by the news agency as saying that there are no agreements Ria – who also claims that Kyiv is not “constructive” enough in the talks.
On Monday evening, Zelensky reiterated the need for a meeting with Putin to determine his position on ending the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Zelensky says that at such a meeting it will not be possible to decide what to do with the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Putin is said to have held phone talks with several international leaders on Monday.
Monday Negotiations
The Ukrainian and Russian delegations spoke again on Monday. talk together in 90 minutes video call.
Early in the war, attempts were made to hold peace talks. But the negotiations were characterized by a great distance, warnings and steep fronts.
The talks have so far not led to a permanent ceasefire. One of the only things that has come out of the negotiations so far is the existence of fragile and temporary humanitarian corridors. The civilian population was evacuated and emergency aid arrived. But these lanes collapsed several times after a short time despite the agreement.
Does not accept warning
Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine would never accept Russia’s occupation of major Ukrainian cities such as Kharkiv, Mariupol and Kiev.
Moreover, he said that they can’t Accepting Russia’s ultimatum to end war, says Reuters.
To fulfill their warning, we must destroy ourselves. Zelensky says Ukraine cannot fulfill this ultimatum.
Mikhailo Podoljak, Ukraine’s chief negotiator and Zelensky’s advisor, says Russia has had to change its stance in the talks between the two countries as a result of Ukraine’s flexibility and Russia’s weak military progress.
trying to mediate
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu mediated peace talks between the two countries and claimed on Sunday that there had been a development in the negotiations. But it is not clear what this means, and Cavusoglu did not provide any details.
In addition to Turkey, Israel has tried to play a role as a peace broker. On Sunday, Zelensky said in a video address to the Knesset in the Israel National Assembly that Jerusalem could be a potential venue for future high-level talks between him and Zelensky.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said there is still a large gap between the two parties despite some progress.
– There is a long way to go. On Monday, Bennett said there are still disagreements on several issues, some of which are fundamental.
locked
The situation still appears to have come to a standstill. BBC In a summary, he notes, among other things, that:
- On Monday, Podoljak said that Russia does not take peace seriously
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed over the weekend that the United States would not allow Ukraine to agree to any minimum requirements.
- British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the peace talks could be a Russian smokescreen, meaning it’s a kind of maneuver to divert attention from the war and give Russian forces time to regroup.
Russia has denied that a ceasefire is relevant as long as negotiations are ongoing.
“The nationalists are using every pause in the fighting to regroup and launch attacks,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Monday by the news agency. Ria.
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