Russia must back peace talk claims with real action – Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Photo: Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The Russian Federation must stop talking about its readiness for peace and start acting by agreeing to a prolonged ceasefire, according to the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha.
According to Sybiha, Ukraine is ready for peace negotiations in any format, but only on the condition that Russia is ready for a difficult path to peace, and not just for "peace populism" or a short-term ceasefire for the sake of the May 9 parade.
He added that Russia can demonstrate its readiness for peace negotiations by agreeing to a ceasefire for at least a month, or even longer. Kyiv, in turn, will support this.
“Russia must stop talking about its readiness for peace and start acting by agreeing unconditionally to a real and durable ceasefire. When the guns are silent, talks can begin — in any format that will bring peace,” Sybiha noted.
Russian “ceasefires”
Recently, the Kremlin has begun to more actively claim that Russia is supposedly ready for direct negotiations with Ukraine. Moreover, it has even claimed Moscow’s readiness for negotiations with the Ukrainian side “without preconditions.”
At the same time, in recent months, Russia has also been “initiating” so-called ceasefires on the front line; however, not once has it adhered to them. On April 28, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, for “humanitarian reasons,” announced a “ceasefire in the war against Ukraine” from May 8 to 11. As noted by the Center for Countering Disinformation, the Kremlin is afraid of the parade and does not believe in its own air defense system.
