EU's Borrell predicts timing of Russia-Ukraine negotiations
European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expects peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to begin after the end of the US presidential elections.
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European Parliament President Josep Borrell gives a farewell speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg (AFP)
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expected that peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would begin after the end of the US presidential elections to be held in November 2024.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin is waiting for the results of the US presidential elections in 2024, and we should not wait for the start of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev before that," Borrell said, in an interview for the Spanish radio Onda Cero.
He indicated that he had not received any information regarding the existence of diplomatic contacts between the Kremlin and the Ukrainian government.
Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, confirmed Kiev's refusal to conduct any negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on the basis of the peace initiatives proposed by Brazil, Indonesia, and African countries.
"Any negotiation process with Russia is impossible, and we have no (reasons to respond to) Indonesian, Brazilian or African initiatives for that at all," Podolyak wrote on his Twitter page.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow recommends that all countries that start peace initiatives regarding Ukraine encourage Kiev to negotiate.
It is noteworthy that China has called on the United States, more than once, to settle the Ukrainian crisis politically instead of fueling it. It also called for an end to the war in Ukraine and confirmed that its relationship with Russia is not against anyone.
Read: RS: US-Ukrainian interests unaligned, could mean suicide for Ukraine
A report on the US Responsible Statecraft website previously spoke of an increase in the number of countries that want the war in Ukraine to end as soon as possible, amid the United States ignoring calls for negotiations to resolve the crisis, wondering how far this disregard can reach.
Negotiations between Moscow and Kiev took place after the Russian military operation in Ukraine with the aim of ending it. The foreign ministers of the two countries also met last March in Turkey without reaching substantial results. Since the negotiations faltered, the two sides exchanged accusations of causing this stalemate.
