The Kremlin has stated that Kyiv doesn’t want to continue negotiations
IRYNA BALACHUK
Dmitry Pieskov, the spokesman for the Russian president, stated that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are not currently underway because Kyiv has no desire to continue this process.
Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti
Direct speech of Pieskov: "Moskow sees complete unwillingness to continue negotiations on the part of Kyiv."
Details: When asked by journalists whether the negotiations could resume after the capture of all the Azovstal defenders, Pieskov replied that these processes are unlikely to be interconnected.
Background: The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that negotiations with Ukraine are not taking place since Kyiv has effectively withdrawn from the negotiation process. Mykhailo Podoliak, Adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, confirmed that talks with Russia are currently on pause for a number of reasons.
Read also: From Zelenskyi's "surrender" to Putin's surrender: how the negotiations with Russia are going.
Prehistory:
- On 20 May Dmitry Pieskov, a spokesman for the Russian president stated that Russia "handed a draft document over to Ukraine with clear wording" regarding a peaceful settlement. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi didn’t confirm this at that time.
- It’s unknown what were the Kremlin's responses to Ukraine's proposals published on 29 March in Istanbul. Kyiv at that time offered that instead of NATO membership, Ukraine receives reliable security guarantees from a number of states; that the issue of Donbas will be addressed by the presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyi in a personal meeting; and that the issue of Crimea’s status will be addressed for 15 years in a peaceful situation.
- On 25 April president of Russia Vladimir Putin said that Russia cannot sign Ukraine’s security guarantees before the territorial issues around Crimea and Donbas are addressed.
