Russia said on Wednesday that peace talks with Ukraine are not easy, but that there is some hope of reaching a compromise and that neutrality for Ukraine is being seriously discussed.
“Negotiations are not easy for obvious reasons,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told RBC News. “But nevertheless, there is some hope of reaching a compromise.”
“Neutral status is now being seriously discussed along, of course, with security guarantees,” Lavrov said.
Ukraine also made cautious positive statements about the peace talks. The country has said it is willing to negotiate until the end of the war, but it will not surrender or accept Russian ultimatums.
Lavrov said key issues included the security of people in eastern Ukraine, the demilitarization of Ukraine and the rights of Russian-speaking people in the country.
The fourth round of negotiations resumed on Tuesday afternoon (15). However, according to a Ukrainian representative, the meeting was interrupted again after a “very difficult and viscous” process.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser and negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said in a Twitter post that negotiations with the Russians would continue on Thursday, and that there are “fundamental contradictions” between the two parties.
According to Podolyak, however, “there is certainly room for compromise”. Earlier, the adviser to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the meeting with the Russians would have as main agendas the general regulation, a possible ceasefire and agreements for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
Announcing the invasion on February 24, President Vladimir Putin blamed the United States for threatening Russia by expanding NATO’s military alliance eastward into Russia’s backyard.
During the interview, Lavrov took up the subject again and stated that Russia “does not see the United States’ interest in quickly resolving this conflict.”
Satellite images reveal destruction in the suburbs of Kiev, Ukraine
Source: CNN Brasil
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