Russia to stay on diplomatic path for next two weeks, says Ukraine

Russia is likely to remain in the path diplomatic relations with Kiev and the West for at least two weeks, but Moscow will continue efforts to destabilize Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday.

Russia has amassed large numbers of troops near the Ukrainian border, but says it has no plans to invade its neighbour.

Speaking after Russia held security talks in Paris on Wednesday with diplomats from Ukraine, France and Germany, Kuleba told a press conference in Copenhagen: “Nothing has changed, this is the bad news.”

“The good news is that the advisers have agreed to meet in Berlin in two weeks, which means that Russia is likely to remain in the path diplomatic position in the next two weeks,” he said after a meeting with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod.

The so-called “Normandy-style” talks in Paris were seen as a step towards easing wider tensions in a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.

“Unfortunately, Russia’s biggest demand is that Ukraine be directly involved in talks with Russian prosecutors in Donetsk and Luhansk, rather than negotiating with Russia. That’s not going to happen, it’s a matter of principle,” Kuleba said.

Donetsk and Luhansk are self-proclaimed republics in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

Kuleba said Ukraine was preparing for all scenarios, but that Russia’s main strategy now was to destabilize Ukraine, including using hybrid warfare tactics such as cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.

“We understand that a military operation is something they keep in their pocket, not something they put ahead of other options,” he said.

Russia says the crisis is being fueled by actions by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the US military alliance and demands security guarantees from the West, including a NATO pledge never to admit Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the US repeated in a written response to Russia’s demands its commitment to maintaining NATO’s “open door” policy, while offering a “principled and pragmatic assessment” of the Kremlin’s concerns.

Kuleba said he had seen the part of the response that relates to Ukraine and had no objections.

“I must commend the Biden administration’s openness to consulting with us before speaking to the Russians,” he said, adding that any deal made without Ukraine would not be accepted.

On the front line, Ukrainians prepare for possible attack