Before the withdrawal of Russian troops, Kyiv has practically ruled out negotiations with Moscow. The Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has even banned talks with the Kremlin boss Putin by decree. Russia is not long in coming with an answer.
Negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin have been banned in Ukraine. A corresponding decree by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was published on his website. However, Ukraine is open to dialogue with Russia.
The decree was preceded by a decision by the Security and Defense Council. Selenskyj had already announced the step last Friday. The Security Council was thus reacting to the Russian annexation of four Ukrainian territories in southern and eastern Ukraine, which was internationally criticized as a violation of international law. Zelenskyi heads the council, which consists of members of the government and heads of the army and intelligence services.
The Kremlin in Moscow said: "Now we are either waiting for the current president to change his position or we are waiting for the future president of Ukraine, who will change his positions in the interests of the Ukrainian people," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax news agency . He stressed that the "special military operation" will not end if Ukraine rules out talks. Two sides are needed for negotiations. Moscow describes the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a "special military operation".
After the Russian invasion on February 24, the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Cherson are largely under Russian control. After Ukrainian counter-offensives, however, the Russian army is increasingly having to withdraw from territories that Moscow now officially regards as Russian after the annexation.
In the first weeks of the war, there were talks between Ukraine and Russia, mainly at negotiator level. The Kremlin had tied a meeting between the two presidents to conditions that were unacceptable to Kyiv. After the increasing successes of the Ukrainian army, Kyiv has practically ruled out negotiations before the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
