2023-11-05 18:07:42
Published5. November 2023, 7:07 p.m.
War in Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelensky “not ready” for discussions with Russia
The Ukrainian president is not “ready to talk with terrorists.” For him, Russia must leave Ukraine, “only then can the world start diplomacy.”
“For the moment, I have no relations with the Russians, and they know my position,” Volodymyr Zelensky said. “They must leave our territory first.”
AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that he was “not ready” for talks with Russia unless Moscow withdraws its troops from Ukraine. “The United States knows that I am not prepared to speak with terrorists, because their word is worthless,” he said on NBC.
The Ukrainian president was commenting on reports that US and European officials have discussed negotiations with his government to end the war with Russia. He also spoke after a senior Ukrainian commander said this week that the two armies were trapped in a war of attrition and positions.
“For the moment, I have no relationship with the Russians, and they know my position,” he said, adding that “they must leave our territory, and only then the world will be able to start diplomacy”.
A “difficult situation”, not an “impasse”
The conflict is in a “difficult situation”, but not at an impasse, according to him. “On the front line, it’s no secret, we don’t have air defense,” he recalled. “This is why Russia controls the skies. If they control the entire sky, we can’t move forward quickly – until we have air defense.”
The front line, more than 1000 km long, has barely moved for almost a year, despite the counter-offensive that Ukraine has been leading since June to try to liberate the occupied territories in the east and from South.
(AFP)
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