Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia on Sunday gave their most optimistic comments on the progress of the talks between their two countries, citing the possibility of achieving positive results within a few days. The meeting of negotiations in the format of a videoconference between Russia and Ukraine will be held on Monday, the negotiator, adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Mikhail Podolyak, confirmed on Sunday evening. “Negotiations continue without interruption via videoconference. Working groups are constantly working. A large number of problems require constant attention,” said Mikhail Podolyak.
Russian negotiator Leonid Slutsky, a member of the Russian delegation who recently met with Ukrainian negotiators in Belarus, assessed on Sunday that overall the talks are moving forward.
“If we compare the position of the two delegations between the beginning of the negotiations and now, then we see significant progress,” said Leonid Slutsky.
“My personal expectation is that this progress will very soon lead to a common position between the two delegations and the signing of documents,” he added, quoted by Russian news agencies.
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For her part, US Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Russia is showing signs of willingness to engage in constructive discussions to find a solution to the conflict sparked by its February 24 military offensive in Ukraine. These various statements contrast with statements made on Sunday by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian that discussions on a ceasefire “are not moving forward.”
Ukraine is ready for negotiations, not surrender
Ukraine says it is ready to negotiate, but not capitulate or accept ultimatums from Russia.
“We will not fundamentally concede on any position. Russia now understands this. Russia is already starting to constructively discuss,” Mikhailo Podolyak said in a video posted online.
“I think we will achieve results in just a few days,” he added.
Neither of the two negotiators, whose statements were released almost simultaneously, gave any indication of a possible agreement.
In a message on Twitter, Mykhailo Podolyak said that Russia is carefully listening to Ukrainian proposals. “Our demands are an end to the war and the withdrawal of (Russian) troops… There is a dialogue going on,” he wrote. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia was ready to end hostilities “in a second” if Ukraine met a number of conditions.
In particular, Moscow demands that Ukraine recognize Crimea as Russian territory and the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk republics as independent states.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told ABC last week that his country was ready to seek compromise over those territories, but has not capitulated.
Three negotiating sessions were held between representatives of Ukraine and Russia in Belarus, the last one on Monday. They dealt mainly with humanitarian issues and led to the partial opening of corridors for the evacuation of civilians from war zones.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reported on Friday about “positive developments” in those discussions, without going into details. The Kremlin said on Saturday they were continuing via video link.
ICRC fears ‘worst case’
At the moment, the situation on the ground is getting tougher. The International Committee of the Red Cross warned on Sunday of a “worst-case scenario” in Mariupol, a besieged city in southeastern Ukraine, if the warring parties “do not reach a humanitarian agreement urgently.”
“The ICRC stands ready to act as a neutral intermediary to facilitate dialogue between the parties on these humanitarian issues,” the press release said.
“The time of hundreds of thousands of people trapped in hostilities is running out. History will judge with horror what is happening in Mariupol if an agreement is not reached between the parties in the near future, ”the text says.
“We call on all parties involved in the fighting to prioritize humanitarian imperatives,” ICRC President Peter Maurer said in a statement, calling for the safety of hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the port city, which is under relentless shelling. bombardment by Russian troops.
“Human suffering is enormous,” the statement said, pointing out that people, including ICRC staff, are forced to take refuge in unheated underground shelters and are forced to risk their lives by taking short walks in search of food and water.
“The noise of war is heard all the time,” said Sasha Volkov, head of the ICRC’s operations in the city.
The ICRC is calling for “a clear, functional agreement without delay so that civilians who wish to leave can find safety and that vital assistance can be delivered to those unable or unwilling to leave,” the ICRC insists.
The ICRC insists that for these humanitarian corridors to work, the belligerents must agree on terms, times and exact locations, and combatants must have time to be alerted throughout the chain of command, as well as among the civilian population when communications are often difficult. .
“It is also important that the parties clear the aisles of any obstacles,” the ICRC further emphasizes. A few days ago, he reported mines on the road that was supposed to serve as an escape route.
(shared with Reuters and AFP)
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March 13, 2022, 9:58 pm