Ukraine is ready to accept neutral status as part of a peace deal with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday in an interview with Russian independent journalists.
“Security guarantees and the neutral, non-nuclear status of our state. We are ready to accept that. This is the most important point,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president told journalists that “this was the first key point for the Russian Federation, if I remember correctly. And as I recall, they started the war over that.”
Any agreement would have to be presented to the Ukrainian people in a referendum, he said. But Zelensky once again emphasized his desire to reach a concrete peace agreement.
“This is a security guarantee clause for Ukraine. And as they say it’s for them too, it’s understandable to me and it’s being discussed. It’s delicate, but I’m interested in making sure it’s not just another piece of paper,” added the Ukrainian president.
“So we are interested in turning this paper into a serious treaty to be signed.” Zelenksy also said that “the issues of Donbas and Crimea must be discussed and resolved” in peace talks.
Zelensky’s comments come after Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the next round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegates will be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Tuesday.
Earlier, Zelensky told Russian journalists that he would refuse to sit down with Russia’s negotiators if they only sought to discuss the “denazification” of Ukraine. He said Ukraine will not discuss the terms “denazification” and “demilitarization” during negotiations with Russia.
Source: CNN Brasil
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