Zelensky and Putin could meet in the foreseeable future – President’s Office
Speaking on the air of Ukraine 24 channel, adviser to the head of the President’s Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Ukraine continues to search for a venue for possible negotiations between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and that these talks “are not far off.”
Podolyak added that a package of agreements is currently being developed, which will take into account positions that are extremely important for Ukraine.
“When they are developed, agreed in advance, then the presidents will be able to meet and work out the final provisions of the peace treaty,” he said.
Concerning the timing of such a meeting, Podolyak noted that "it is not a long way off."
“I can’t promise that this meeting will take place in the near future. It’s not a matter of a few days. It will take some time, but we will endeavor to hold it as soon as possible. Because every human life matters to us. We don’t want [people] to be killed, nor have our infrastructure destroyed,” stated the adviser to Zelensky’s chief-of-staff.
He stressed that the agreements will be on favorable terms for Ukraine.
“We understand this mental difference between us and the Russians. For us, life is a value, but for them, it is a way to put pressure on someone. But let's assume that they already want to enter into direct inter-presidential bilateral negotiations and conclude an effective agreement. If the treaty took into account only the interests of Russia, then Ukraine would not agree to this, because society has already paid a high price for this. The agreement will only be such that is beneficial to Ukraine,” Podolyak concluded.
Earlier, Zelensky said he wants to hold negotiations with Russia in Jerusalem.
Later, he wrote on Twitter that the Russian representatives at the talks are no longer issuing ultimatums, but are attentively listening to Ukraine's proposals.
“Ukraine will not compromise on its position. Our demands are the end of the war and the withdrawal of Russian troops. I note an understanding of this process and a dialogue,” he said.
Podolyak added that there is hope for concrete results in the coming days.
So far, negotiations to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine have been held at the level of delegations from the two countries. Three rounds have already passed, but so far they have been ineffectual.
At 0500 on Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had decided to launch a "special military operation" in the Donbas following a request from the puppet authorities in the non-government-controlled Luhansk and Donetsk territories. In fact, Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion, though this is being concealed from the Russian public.
Previously, the Russian government repeatedly stated that it would not attack Ukraine, while for months it massed troops and equipment next to its border with Ukraine.
March 13 is the 18th day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia is advancing from the north, east and south.
From the first days of the war, the situation has been most difficult in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, in Kyiv and its outskirts.
The invaders are also trying to seize the government-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.
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