Presidential Office outlines red line for talks with Russia, US already informed
Photo: Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office (president.gov.ua)
Ukraine will not accept any restrictions on the size or combat readiness of its Armed Forces during ceasefire negotiations with Russia, said Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa in an interview with Reuters.
Reuters recalls that Russian President Vladimir Putin has said peace talks could only begin if:
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the size of the Ukrainian army is limited,
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Kyiv abandons its NATO ambitions,
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and Ukraine withdraws troops from four regions.
"This is a principled position of Ukraine - no one, and certainly not the aggressor country Russia, will dictate to Ukraine what kind of armed forces Ukraine should have," Palisa said.
Ukraine also informed the United States of its position.
The Deputy Head of the Presidential Office emphasized that a well-prepared Ukrainian army is the best security guarantee against new Russian attacks after any peace agreement is reached.
"I can guess what the Russian Federation is guided by - maybe they want to prepare, to make it easier for themselves in the future, but no. Our task is to learn the lessons (of the past - ed.) well," he added.
Potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine
Last month, the United States held a series of talks with delegations from both Ukraine and Russia. As part of those efforts, Washington proposed a 30-day ceasefire. While Kyiv agreed to a ceasefire, the Kremlin began presenting a list of demands and eventually rejected the US peace initiative, claiming it failed to address Russia’s problems.
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Congress has already started working on a sanctions bill against Russia. He noted that Moscow must now decide whether it is ready to end the full-scale war.
