Arakhamia Outlined the Main Goal of Peace Talks with Russia
On September 12, Davyd Arakhamia, head of the “Servant of the People” faction and a member of the Ukrainian negotiating team, explained why Ukraine is participating in peace talks with Russia. He made these remarks during the YES Annual Meeting 2026.
According to Arakhamia, the key objective of the negotiation process is to build what is known as a “tunnel.” To achieve this, it is necessary to establish regular and systematic contact in a single location with a consistent group of participants.
He noted that while the lack of quick results may disappoint the public, such a process is a necessary foundation.
“Sometimes you fail in negotiations, but I wouldn’t say that you start completely from scratch every time. You start with something, you gain some understanding of it, and you establish some connections regarding it,” the MP explained.
Arakhamia emphasized that, unlike in democratic Ukraine, decision-making in Russia depends entirely on one person—Vladimir Putin. Currently, the Russian dictator is surrounded exclusively by supporters of the war.
Ukraine’s strategy, the MP said, is to engage all possible international channels—from countries in the Middle East and BRICS to European partners.
The main goal of this effort, according to Arakhamia, is to identify all officials in Putin’s inner circle and increase the number of people advocating for an end to hostilities.
“So, the more people around Putin who support peace, the better the chance that we will achieve the just peace we are all seeking. I believe this is the way to do it,” he concluded.
As a reminder, earlier this year, Ukraine and Russia held several rounds of negotiations mediated by the U.S., but the process reached an “impasse.” In September, the American side again attempted to “revive” the negotiations.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Kyiv to propose “new ideas” for ending the war and to arrange a trilateral meeting.
Arakhamia made these remarks during the YES Annual Meeting 2026, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.
Earlier, Budanov had announced a new round of peace talks in October.
Prior to that, Budanov had made a statement about a ceasefire until winter.
As a reminder, part of the Rivne region was left without electricity due to Russian shelling.
The Russians also struck a passenger train at the Lutsk train station.
Overnight, the Russians fired Kalibr missiles at a high-rise building in Odesa.
