“This is a profanation”: how Russia reacted to Kyiv’s position on possible negotiations

Russia will continue a special military operation in Ukraine, as Kyiv does not want negotiations.

This was stated by the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov.

“We state the main thing is that the position both de facto and de jure of the Ukrainian side, which was repeatedly stated by President Zelensky, indicates that Ukraine, both de facto and de jure, cannot and does not want to negotiate.

Accordingly, the goals of the Russian Federation will be carried out through the continuation of a special military operation,” the Kremlin spokesman said.

In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia, he had short conversations with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the topic of resolving the conflict over Ukraine.

“But I recalled that all the problems are on the Ukrainian side, which categorically refuses any negotiations and puts forward conditions that are obviously unrealistic and inadequate to the situation,” the head of Russian diplomacy stressed.

Prerequisites

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking via video link at the G20 summit, said that Kyiv would not sign new agreements similar to Minsk.

“There will be no (agreements.

) Minsk-3 that Russia will violate immediately after the conclusion.

There is a Ukrainian formula for peace,” Zelensky said.

He added that "there is a set of solutions that can be implemented to really guarantee peace."

The Ukrainian president explained that his country has its own 10-point peace plan, including the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the exchange of prisoners according to the “all for all” formula, as well as ensuring nuclear, food and energy security.

• Vladimir Zelensky

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• © Efrem Lukatsky

Zelensky also recalled that Kyiv had developed a draft document on providing Ukraine with international security guarantees.

On the eve of the representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleg Nikolenko said that the formula for peace talks with Russia for Kyiv remains unchanged: it provides for the withdrawal of all Russian troops, the restoration of Ukrainian territorial integrity, compensation for damage and the provision of effective guarantees of non-repetition of aggression.

Moscow, in turn, said that the Russian side does not accept the setting of preconditions for the start of negotiations on the situation in Ukraine.

In particular, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said this.

“These conditions are unacceptable.

Our president has repeatedly said that we are ready for negotiations, but these negotiations, of course, must take into account the situation on the ground,” the diplomat stressed.

Western position

It is worth noting that earlier representatives of Western countries noted that they would not force Kyiv to negotiate with Russia. 

Thus, the head of the US State Department, Anthony Blinken, said on November 12 that "the decision regarding the timing and content of any negotiation processes remains with Ukraine."

A similar position was voiced by the head of the defense headquarters of the armed forces of Great Britain, Tony Radakin.

Later, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, at a joint press conference with the heads of the Foreign and Defense Ministries of the Netherlands on November 14, also said that the North Atlantic Alliance would not decide under what conditions and when Kyiv should begin negotiations to end the conflict.

“Ukraine has stated that it is ready for negotiations, but will, of course, understand that the only way to achieve an outcome acceptable to it is to have a strong position on the battlefield.

Most wars end at some stage at the negotiating table.

But what is happening at this table is fundamentally related to the situation on the battlefield.

So we must support Ukraine to strengthen its position, so that at a certain stage negotiations could begin in which Ukraine would prevail as an independent sovereign state of Europe, ”said Stoltenberg.

The NATO Secretary General added that "Ukraine should decide what conditions it considers acceptable for itself, and we should help it and increase the likelihood of an acceptable outcome."

Negotiation fiction

Official Moscow has every reason to talk about the absence of any readiness for negotiations in Kyiv, according to experts interviewed by RT.

“Russia’s reaction to Zelensky’s statements is absolutely logical and consistent.

Until recently, there was hope that the West would be able to induce Zelensky to look at the situation realistically, but this is not happening, ”said Nikita Danyuk, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, in a comment to RT.

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• © Savushkin

In turn, the leading expert of the MGIMO Center for Military-Political Studies, Doctor of Political Sciences Mikhail Alexandrov, in a conversation with RT, emphasized that Zelensky's statements indicate that Kyiv is not going to stop hostilities. 

“Kyiv imitates readiness for negotiations, while putting forward preconditions that are obviously unacceptable for the Russian Federation.

Apparently, the West insisted that Zelensky spoke in some way in favor of ending the conflict against the backdrop of the G20 summit.

However, before that, he signed a decree that he would not negotiate with Vladimir Putin.

In essence, this is a profanation, which will not be followed by real actions.

The Kyiv regime does not want to stop hostilities, ”the expert noted.

According to Alexandrov, Zelensky's statements are aimed at deceiving the international community and agreed with his curators in the West.

Kyiv, putting forward deliberately unacceptable preconditions, actually says that it does not want to enter into any negotiations with Russia, Alexei Podberezkin, director of the Center for Military-Political Studies, said in an interview with RT.

“The preconditions put forward by Ukraine are unrealistic, such proposals are not negotiated.

They are quite satisfied with the situation when there is a positional war, exhausting Russia.

Moreover, the situation that complicates the position of Europe suits the United States as well.

In reality, there are no people interested in negotiations in Ukraine,” the expert said.

The desire to stop hostilities without signing agreements is connected with Kyiv's desire to take a breather, which it uses to improve logistics and redeploy troops, Alexei Podberezkin added.

As Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, noted in an interview with RT, the requirements voiced by Vladimir Zelensky were formed in London and Washington.

In the US and Europe, there is fatigue from the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine, and they are pushing Kyiv towards compromise solutions, the expert added.

“Europe and the US are tired of this conflict.

Winter is ahead and there is a direct need to end this conflict.

In addition, today the situation on the line of contact and in the dynamics of the conflict, in a certain sense, has developed in favor of Kyiv.

In a few months, the situation may change, and positions may weaken, ”said the interlocutor of RT.

In turn, the expert of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, Nikolai Kostikin, believes that Zelensky clearly received instructions to change his rhetoric from Washington, but he cannot enter into any negotiations with the Russian Federation due to the internal political situation.

“Through various channels, he is advised to think about starting negotiations, as the political situation in the United States is changing, and the support he receives cannot be eternal.

In turn, Russia, by its actions, reduced the intensity of the operation as much as possible.

Therefore, in the West, some forces began to send certain hints to Kyiv.

However, Zelensky is convinced of his invulnerability, especially in connection with the latest events in Kherson, so there is no need to talk about Ukraine's readiness for negotiations, ”the expert concluded.