Russia says it’s ready for talks with Ukraine
Maria Zakharova (Photo:RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY)
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow is ready to negotiate with Kyiv, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported via Telegram on Nov. 9.
“Russia is still open to negotiations with Ukraine – of course, taking into account the realities that are developing at the moment,” said Zakharova.
In response, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said it’s “absurd” to call on Ukraine to stop liberating its territory from Russian occupation.
“Imagine that you have a four-room house,” Danilov said, explaining Ukraine’s position to Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.
“One room has been taken over by crazy people who killed part of your family. And now you’re proposing, ‘OK, let’s start talks with them, so they can stay there, and we can work out peaceful co-existence with them.’ Do you realize how absurd that sounds?”
He added that a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine is a prerequisite for any peace talks with Moscow.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow would be impossible while Russian dictator Vladimir Putin remains in power.
According to recent media reports, the United States has been privately asking the Ukrainian government to signal its openness to negotiations with Russia – to ensure broad and enduring support of the rest of Kyiv’s Western partners.
On Nov. 7, Zelenskyy specified five conditions for potential talks with Russia:
· Restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity;
· Respect for the UN Charter;
· Russian war reparations;
· Accountability of war criminals;
· Guarantees against another Russian invasion in the future.
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