Peskov called dialogue with the West a strengthening element in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine

A strengthening element in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine may be a dialogue with the West, as the Ukrainian authorities listen to the position of Western countries. This statement was made by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov.

“The previous experience of communicating with Kyiv shows that without talking with the West, Kyiv’s position is very, very changeable. Of course, let’s put it this way, the guiding, reinforcing and strengthening element of such communication could be communication with the West,” Peskov said.

Thus, he commented on the words of the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei Ryabkov. Earlier today diplomat declaredthat Russia and the United States have nothing to discuss as part of the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. He explained that the dialogue is impossible because of the “radical opposition of positions.” Earlier, US President Joe Biden called the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine a condition for resolving the conflict.

Since the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine, the parties have held negotiations several times. The first three face-to-face meetings took place in Belarus in February-March, and the fourth round of the Russian-Ukrainian dialogue was held on March 29 in Istanbul. Later, the process was frozen, since Ukraine withdrew from it.

The Russian side has repeatedly repeated that it is ready to resume negotiations. However, the Kremlin pointed to their impossibility, since on October 4 Zelensky signed a document refusing to negotiate with Russia as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin is its president.

On November 15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 summit again declaredthat Moscow does not abandon the negotiation process. According to him, Kyiv is not interested in this, which puts “unrealistic conditions.”

In turn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he “did not close the door” in negotiations with Russia. On November 8, he named five conditions for the resumption of negotiations, including the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity and compensation for damages. The Russian Foreign Ministry replied that Moscow would not agree to preconditions for negotiations.

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