Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Goluzin listed Moscow’s conditions for negotiations with Kiev and the West. Among them are the laying down of arms and the cessation of shelling of Russian cities.
“If the West and Kiev want to sit down at the negotiating table, they must first of all stop shelling Russian cities and lay down their arms. After that, it will be possible to conduct discussions on the basis of new geopolitical realities,” Mr. Goluzin said. TASS.
According to the Deputy Minister, the resumption of the dialogue depends only on the readiness of Ukraine and the West “for a sober perception of the current geopolitical realities.” In this regard, he recommended “reorienting our efforts towards targeted work with Kiev, as well as the United States and other NATO countries, which continue to expand the range of arms supplies.”
Earlier in February, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin announced that Moscow was ready to negotiate with Kiev without preconditions. Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said today, February 23, that, according to Moscow, negotiations should be conducted not with Kiev, but with Washington. He noted that Russia is ready “to search for a serious and long-term diplomatic solution to this crisis.”
In the fall of 2022, Ukraine legally banned negotiations with Russia while Vladimir Putin remains its president. Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky allowed the resumption of dialogue in the event of the withdrawal of Russian troops from territories that Kyiv considers its own.