Shortly after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, on February 24, delegations from both countries began negotiations. After three face-to-face meetings in the Belarusian border area, the talks were held via videoconferences. Ukraine is demanding an end to the fighting and the withdrawal of Russian troops. Moscow is demanding that Kiev renounce NATO, which recognizes breakaway areas in the east of the country as independent states and Russian rule over the annexed Crimea peninsula.
Turkey as an intermediary
Ankara maintains good relations with Moscow and Kiev. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov met in Turkey on March 10. However, the talks in Antalya at the time did not bring any significant progress.
Ukraine division?
Meanwhile, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service fears a division of Ukraine similar to that of North and South Korea. Russia “failed in its attempt to take Kiev and overthrow the Ukrainian government,” Kyrylo Budanov wrote on Facebook. Putin is changing strategy, a division of Ukraine may be one of his goals.
The Russian army had previously announced that it intended to focus on “liberating” the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine in the future. The separatist leader in Luhansk, Leonid Pasechnik, has proposed a referendum on “uniting” with Russia “in the near future”.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko condemned the proposal as part of ongoing Russian efforts to “undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. He wrote on Twitter: “All fake referendums in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void and will have no legitimacy.” Zelensky also said in his video message in the evening: “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt.”