MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th November, 2022) No peace talks with Ukraine are possible now due to Ukraine's absolute refusal to negotiate, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, commenting on a statement by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
On Monday, in an interview with the German media, Steinmeier said that holding the armistice talks between Ukraine and Russia would be "reckless" since it would "condone" Russia's behaviour.
"Indeed, no negotiations are possible now, because they are absolutely denied by the Ukrainian side. The special military operation continues," Peskov said.
In late September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was still open to talks with Kiev and called on Ukraine to stop the hostilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in turn, stated that Kiev was ready for dialogue with Moscow, but only if another president came to power in Russia, a demand he later dropped.
Earlier this month, Zelenskyy laid out the conditions for peace negotiations with Russia, demanding restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, respect for the UN Charter, "compensation for all damages caused by the war," and guarantees that the conflict will not happen again, among others.
On November 15, Zelenskyy, in a video message to G20 summit, said that Kiev did not want to sign a peace agreement that would be against Ukraine's interests and which Moscow would "violate immediately after its conclusion." Peskov, commenting on Zelenskyy's statement, said that his words "absolutely confirm" Kiev's unwillingness to negotiate.
