Russia is ready to start negotiations on Ukraine and further coexistence with the West, said Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s Defense Minister.
– Once the necessary conditions are created, we will remain ready for realistic political discussions – both on the resolution of the Ukrainian post-conflict crisis and on the parameters for further coexistence with the West as a whole, Shoigu said at a forum in Beijing.
At the same time, he emphasized that Russia is interested in “ensuring equal relations with all nuclear powers – the permanent members of the UN Security Council” because, according to him, these countries have “a special responsibility” for maintaining international peace and security.
– To shape a fair, multipolar world order, it is necessary to update the international security architecture and ensure its greater stability, the Russian minister argued.
Russia and Ukraine set conditions for ending the war
The dialogue on the resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict ended in the spring of 2022, after the bodies of several dozen civilians were found in Bucha near Kiev, abandoned by Russian troops. The last direct meeting of the delegation took place on March 29 last year. in Istanbul.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a bilateral meeting to Russian President Vladimir Putin four times. Moscow has regularly refused, citing the lack of “specific issues” for discussion at the level of heads of state.
Late last summer, as Ukraine began to achieve successes on the front, Putin’s position changed and he made it clear – through Turkish President Recep Erdogan – that he was not against a meeting with Zelensky. In response, Kiev set a condition for the withdrawal of Russian troops.
Zelensky no longer wants to talk to Putin
Zelensky also said negotiations would become impossible if “referenda” were held in the occupied territories of Ukraine on their incorporation into the Russian Federation.
After the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson oblasts, the Ukrainian president fulfilled his promise by signing a decree refusing dialogue with Moscow under Putin.
Zelensky last presented his position in mid-May, stating that negotiations with the Russian president were pointless because he would attack Ukraine again if he was not defeated.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
