Read NV on Google
Rescue workers saving people trapped under the rubble of a building destroyed by a Russian missile in Pryluky, Oct. 7 (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
As it stands, there are no grounds for good-faith
negotiations with Moscow, parliamentary Defense Committee chair Roman
Kostenko told NV on Oct. 7.
“We need to understand one thing: There is currently no
basis for talks; negotiating with Russia is tantamount to giving it an opening
to attack later,” Kostenko said.
“What does Russia mean by ‘negotiations’? It means meeting
all of its demands. First of all, Russia does not want to negotiate. We have
repeatedly heard our government say we are ready for talks. The United States
has also spoken about negotiations many times. There have even been some
negotiations, but the Russians sent representatives who apparently not only
failed to communicate Russia’s position but did not know it at all.”
Kostenko said the Russian delegation appeared to attend the trilateral
Ukraine–U.S.–Russia talks “simply to play for time.”
“Russia needs Ukraine to be defeated,” he added.
“We need to understand that when we are told, ‘Let’s
negotiate something.’ Russia is not planning to stop. I have said repeatedly
that to force Russia to negotiate, conditions must be created. Unfortunately,
those conditions do not exist yet.”
Kostenko added that Russia understands it cannot achieve
anything on the battlefield but has an advantage in the air and hopes it can
use that advantage to pressure the Ukrainian public into clamoring for peace at
any cost.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
