Ukrainian Presidential Aide: Peace talks with Moscow "death sentence"
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Ukrainian Presidential Adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, says the Ukrainian President opposes negotiations with Russia to end the war.
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Ukrainian Presidential Adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak
Ukrainian Presidential Adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, described on Friday attempts to hold peace negotiations with Russia as a death sentence for Ukraine.
"[Ukrainian] President Volodymyr Zelensky is definitely against it [negotiations], and the Ukrainian society is adamant there, because we fully appreciate the risks," Podolyak told US newspaper The Hill, considering attempts to negotiate with Moscow a "death sentence" for Ukraine.
It is noteworthy that Turkey has emerged as the lead mediator between Russia and Ukraine, hosting several rounds of negotiations since the start of the war.
Talks hit a roadblock after Zelensky said Russian troops must give up the territories under their control.
In July, Russian presidential aide, Yuri Ushakov, pointed out that the Ukrainian negotiation delegation did not maintain any contacts with Russia after inking the grain deal in Istanbul, and that if the Russian-Ukrainian talks take place, the conditions for them would be completely different.
Lavrov: Door to negotiations open
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had indicated that Moscow is prepared to resume full-scale negotiations with Kiev, however, Ukraine's leadership has made it obvious that it is hesitant to begin the process.
"We do not have any preconceptions about resuming negotiations [with Kiev] on a broader range of issues, but it is not up to us. Because the Ukrainian authorities, starting with the president and ending with his countless advisers, have consistently stated that there will be no negotiations until Ukraine defeats Russia," Lavrov had said following talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
Russia and Ukraine have already held negotiations in Istanbul, however, the talks have yielded no results to end the war.
Ukraine: Negotiations with Russia 'extremely difficult'
Podolyak had previously said that the talks with Russia were "extremely difficult", claiming that "The Russian side adheres to its traditional tactics of public pressure on the negotiation process, including through certain public statements."
On its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry had said that the main goal of the European Union in Ukraine is to continue the proxy war down to the last Ukrainian. The Ministry's remarks come after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's statements, which asserted that the Ukrainian conflict will end on the battlefield.
"The theses about the need for a political solution, in support of negotiations, have disappeared from the EU lexicon. It is clear why: a political solution will interfere with their main goal — to continue the proxy war till the last Ukrainian," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Read more: Lavrov: Anglo-Saxons blocking Ukrainian negotiations with Moscow
