Zelensky: there will be no ‘behind the scenes’ negations with Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had received signals from the leaders of other countries that Russian president Vladimir Putin wants to start negotiations. But since the Russian Federation is waging a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, any negotiations should take place in public, not behind the scenes. Zelensky stressed that he does not want to have "any behind the scenes interactions “ with the Russian side.
The Ukrainian President recalled that at the G20 summit he outlined 10 conditions for beginning negotiations. "I believe that this is a formula for peace for the whole world. Because each state can find its place there and be a leader on this or that initiative - in overcoming the difficulties in one or another point out of these ten," Zelensky said.
Russian authorities said that Zelensky's statement was a proof of the frivolity of his intentions. The Kremlin sand that any publicly open negotiations were impossible.
One of the high-ranking sources told the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti that "Kyiv’s new idea of public negotiations is an attempt to turn diplomacy into a TV show and shows the lack of serious intentions."
Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that it is difficult for him to imagine a dialogue in the format proposed by Zelensky.
"There are no such negotiations. And even more so public negotiations to such an extent. But one thing is certain – the Ukrainian side does not want any negotiations. The special military operation continues, and its goals must be achieved," the Kremlin spokesman said.
Some Western officials have recently said that neither Kyiv nor Moscow will be able to achieve their stated goals in the war. They believe that winter will be a good time to start diplomatic talks between the sides.