According to Ukraine, Russia has indicated that the time is ripe for negotiations at the presidential level. Interfax Ukraine quoted David Arakhamiya, who is part of the Ukrainian negotiating team, as saying on Saturday night that Russia had indicated that documents for a draft peace treaty had progressed to the point of direct consultations with the presidents. Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to allow.
meeting in turkey
“Therefore, our task at the moment is to prepare the final version of the documents and to open the questions to make possible a possible meeting of the presidents”, continued Arachamija. If the meeting takes place, it will likely be in Turkey, Ankara or Istanbul.
In recent weeks, Zelensky has repeatedly called for direct talks with Putin to end the war of aggression that Moscow began on February 24. The Kremlin has so far rejected this, pointing out that Putin is demanding a concrete basis – in the sense of preliminary negotiations concluded – for this meeting.
Issue Crimea
Russia basically accepted Ukraine’s position, with the exception of the position on Crimea, he said. While Russia considers Crimea’s status to have been clarified as a result of the 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula in violation of international law, Kiev wants to agree to a 15-year review phase. The other points concern Ukraine’s neutrality and its renunciation of foreign military bases, in exchange for international security guarantees from several countries, such as Israel, Turkey, Canada and Poland.
Conversations “Aren’t Easy”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Russian-Ukrainian negotiations “have not been easy”. But it is important that they continue, quoted the agency Ria Peskow. Russia suggested the continuation of negotiations in Belarus, which Ukraine rejected. The latest round of talks took place in Turkey earlier this week.