Russia has iterated its willingness to negotiate with Ukraine but said it needs to understand how prepared Ukraine is.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, July 25, 2024, Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov stated, “Basically, Russia is open for a negotiation process but first, we need to understand how prepared Ukraine is and whether it has permission for that from its handlers.”
“At this point, you can see that contradictory statements are being made and things are not quite clear,” he said.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmitry Kuleba said at a meeting with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi that Ukraine was preparing for talks with Russia.
According to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, “talks need to be rational, substantive and aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace.”
Peskov pointed out on Thursday that a ban on communication with Russia remained in effect in Ukraine and “a lot of things need to be clarified” with regard to potential talks.
Also, Peskov said that it is obvious that the “Kyiv regime is having a hard time.”
“It is obvious that, sooner or later, the number of people who try to have a sober look at the ongoing events will start growing – maybe, not as fast as we would like it, but still,” Peskov said.
When asked, why Ukraine started talking about a possibility of negotiations with Russia at this specific moment, he noted that “it would be nice to obtain explanations from an official representative” of Ukraine in this regard.
“We will see if any explanations will follow regarding what was said. So far, there have been no explanations, and therefore, it is too early to talk about any detail,” he concluded.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Decries Attempt To Promote “so-called Peace Formula”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova stated earlier that Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his patrons want to make another attempt “to promote the so-called peace formula.”
She said that Zelenskyy and his allies are unsuccessfully trying to literally force the peace formula “on everyone, to involve as many countries as possible in its discussion under false pretenses.”
“There is nothing new in the intention of the Kyiv regime and its Western handlers, one might say, to rehabilitate themselves for the failed so-called peace summit,” the diplomat continued.
“We understand that these attempts will continue,” she stressed, adding “Behind this are the desires to impose the dead-end ‘Zelensky formula’ on a wide range of countries.”
Also, Zakharova said that the Ukrainian leader can not be trusted when he talks about possible negotiations with Russia along the lines of some “peace plan.”
“No one has any faith in him,” she said at a news conference.
“Everyone understands perfectly well that this is a man who can twist anything, who can lie, who can abandon everything, as he abandoned even his own people, literally throwing the people of Ukraine on some sacrificial altar,” she claimed.
“Nothing has been done by anyone. Not by Zelensky, not by his administration or other branches of government, not by Western handlers to rescind the law banning Ukraine from negotiating with Russia.
“We hear a lot of words, but we basically do not see any deeds. Well, except for the fact that Zelensky continues to massacre Ukrainian citizens.”
Maria Zakharova
Additionally, the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman claimed that Zelenskyy’s unexpected “pliability” about possible peace talks with Russia “could also be linked to the US election.”
“Look how he immediately started calling [Donald] Trump after the assassination attempt, and also after a number of experts suggested that actions by the Kiev regime’s extremists against or in connection with the US elections were not ruled out,” she said.
READ ALSO: Minority Invites Dr Bawumia to Debate on Mid-Year Budget Review