Ukraine should independently decide on negotiations with Russia, says Steinmeier
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Photo:REUTERS/Michele Tantussi)
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is convinced that Ukraine should independently take decisions on the start of negotiations with the Russian Federation, German newspaper Spiegel reported on Nov. 7.
Steinmeier stressed that Ukraine should have complete freedom of action in the issue of peace talks.
“Ukraine should say when it wants such negotiations and considers them promising,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Oct. 4 enacted a decision taken by the National Security and Defense Council to outlaw any negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The President's Office said that Kyiv would be ready for negotiations when the Russian leader changes.
Later on, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would only be able to begin peace talks with Russia if the invading forces retreat from the occupied Ukrainian territory and admitted that they had made a “terrible mistake.”
According to media reports, the Biden administration has been privately asking the Ukrainian government to signal an openness to negotiations with the Russian Federation. However, the request is not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, but, rather, to ensure that Kyiv retains future support of other nations.
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