The Kremlin has announced a new condition for negotiations with Ukraine
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that, in order to begin full-scale peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must order the Ukrainian Armed Forces to withdraw from territories that Moscow considers “Russian regions.”
Russian propaganda media reported this on May 13.
“For a ceasefire to take effect and a path to full-scale peace talks to open up—as the president spoke about back in June of the year before last while addressing the leadership of the Russian Foreign Ministry—President Zelenskyy must order the Ukrainian Armed Forces to cease fire and withdraw from the Donbas region, to withdraw from the territory of the ‘Russian regions,’” the press secretary said.
According to him, “at that moment, a ceasefire will take effect, and the parties will be able to calmly engage in negotiations.” At the same time, he emphasized that these negotiations “will inevitably be very complex and involve a large number of important details.”
“As for contacts, we are continuing our dialogue with the Americans through existing channels. These contacts take place on an ongoing basis. And since they are acting as mediators, information is also exchanged with the Ukrainian side through them,” Peskov noted.
When asked by a journalist to clarify whether the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions are included in the concept of “Russian regions,” Peskov replied: “I recommend that you reread President Putin’s statement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
As a reminder, Putin began speaking of “ending the war” due to serious problems in the rear and on the front lines
Ukraine is ready for dialogue with Russia provided Moscow is genuinely committed to serious talks, but such meetings require careful preparation. Any direct contacts between the leaders of the warring states do not occur spontaneously or via ordinary telephone communication.
