Pushilin: Zelensky’s statements will not affect plans to hold a tribunal in Mariupol

The perpetrators of war crimes must be punished, regardless of Kyiv’s statements, Denis Pushilin, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

“All war criminals, especially neo-Nazis from Azov (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia), should be punished appropriately for all their deeds,” he said (quote according to TASS).

So Pushilin commented statement President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky that the tribunal over the captured Ukrainian military could be the “last line”, after which Kyiv will not negotiate with Moscow. The Ukrainian leader described the trial as “bullying people.”

According to Pushilin, Zelensky’s statements should be treated with skepticism, since he had the opportunity to negotiate at various venues, including in Minsk, in order to prevent everything that is happening now. Now, he added, preparations for the first stage of the tribunal over Ukrainian prisoners are being completed.

Earlier, the head of the republic said that the tribunal should take place in several stages, one of the first will be in Mariupol. The Russian Foreign Ministry allowed the exchange of prisoners of war only after the trial.

Since the beginning of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the parties have held talks several times. The first three face-to-face meetings took place in Belarus: on February 28, representatives of Russia and Ukraine met in the Gomel region, and then on March 3 and 6, negotiations continued in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The fourth round of the Russian-Ukrainian dialogue took place on March 29 in Istanbul. But later the process was frozen. On May 17, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said that Ukraine had actually withdrawn from the negotiation process.

After that, the Russian authorities repeatedly stated that Russia did not refuse negotiations with Ukraine. At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that Western countries are hindering this process by pumping weapons to Ukraine and thereby prolonging the conflict.

Previously, Zelensky has repeatedly declaredthat negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv can take place only after the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territories they control. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov clarifiedthat at present “there are no negotiations, no prerequisites for them.”

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