Significant hurdles remain before peace talks can be held between Kyiv and Moscow, according to recent Russian and Ukrainian statements.
Significant hurdles remain before peace talks can be held to end Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor, according to recent statements by Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it was ready to enter into a negotiating process with Russia at some point if Moscow was willing to negotiate in good faith. However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said there was currently no such readiness on the Russian side.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kyiv has made various statements that are not entirely understandable. He reiterated that the main obstacle to negotiations, from the Russian point of view, remains that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out such talks by decree.
Officially, the conditions expressed by both sides are far apart. Zelenskyy demands a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the country before negotiations with Moscow can take place.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling on Ukraine to relinquish the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions that Russia illegally annexed, even though Kyiv still controls large parts of them.
