The Kremlin judged Wednesday, February 5, “empty of meaning” on Wednesday, February 5, the statements of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who said he was ready the day before for direct negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and other managers to end the conflict. “Being ready must rest on something […] Until now, this can only be perceived as empty words of meaning, “journalists the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov told journalists.
He once again pointed out that Volodymyr Zelensky prohibited any negotiation by decree in October 2022 as long as Vladimir Putin is in power in Russia, a reply to the Kremlin decision to claim the annexation of four Ukrainian regions. “Despite everything, we remain open to negotiations,” continued Dmitri Peskov, believing that “reality on the ground” should convince kyiv to “show openness and interest in such negotiations”.
Volodymyr Zelensky has long been categorically opposed to any compromise with Russia, but has revised certain points of its position in recent months in the face of the difficulties encountered by its army on the front and especially since the return to the White House of Donald Trump, which says he wants to end the conflict quickly.
“A compromise for Ukraine”
Asked about the possibility of negotiating with Vladimir Putin in an interview broadcast on Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelensky assured that he would do it “if it is the only configuration in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and no longer lose people”. He spoke of a format with “four participants”, which would be a priori Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the EU.
Specifying his remarks in a message on Wednesday, the Ukrainian president assured that being ready to discuss with Vladimir Putin was in itself “a compromise” on the part of Ukraine. “Putin is an assassin and a terrorist […] Talking to a murderer is a compromise for Ukraine and the whole of the civilized world, “he said, while admitting that the kyiv allies” think that diplomacy is the way to follow “.
During this interview broadcast on Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelensky also mentioned the possibility that Ukraine obtaining nuclear weapons if it failed to quickly integrate NATO. Dmitri Peskov said on Wednesday that these statements were “on the verge of madness”, calling kyiv’s allies to become aware of the “potential dangers of the discussion of such a subject in Europe”.
The Kremlin spokesman also confirmed that “contacts” take place between the United States and Russia on specific subjects, and that these contacts “have recently intensified”, without specifying more.