According to Russian press reports, peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine could take place in Hungary.
Russia is ready to start peace negotiations with Ukraine on the territory of the Western country, the daily Izvestia reported, citing a highly placed source. According to him, such a country could be Hungary, a member of the EU and NATO. Their Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto offered mediation to both Moscow and Kiev.
The newspaper’s interlocutor emphasized that “what is important for the Russian side in the negotiations is not the place, but the willingness of the West and Ukraine for a constructive conversation with Moscow.”
– We appreciate Hungary’s willingness to help stop the bloodshed, but mediation is only a tool to organize the negotiating process. The key question remains: who on the other side is willing to talk? – said Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik.
He also recalled that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approved the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to refuse to hold negotiations with Russia as long as President Vladimir Putin remains in power.
Russia and Ukraine set conditions for ending the war
The dialogue on the resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was officially interrupted 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, Zelensky has proposed a bilateral meeting with 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.
In late November, Putin called the war in Ukraine a “tragedy,” again arguing that Russia “has never refused peace negotiations.”
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.
