Ukrainian Foreign Ministry clarifies Kuleba's words about negotiations with Russia
Kyiv is ready to negotiate with Moscow on condition of its "good faith", which is not observed so far, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. Beijing previously reported Kuleba's words about readiness for dialogue with Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has demonstrated Kyiv's consistent position, which is readiness to conduct negotiations with Russia at a certain stage. This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, commenting on China's reports about Kyiv's readiness for negotiations.
Earlier, the representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning said that Kuleba, in a conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, stated Ukraine's readiness for negotiations with Russia. "The Ukrainian side wants and is ready to conduct dialogue and negotiations with the Russian side. Of course, the negotiations should be rational and have practical significance, aimed at achieving a fair and lasting peace," Mao Ning reported the words of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.
Following the statement from the Chinese side, the Kremlin stated that Kuleba’s words “are in unison” with Moscow’s position.
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry arrived in China on July 23 for the first time since the start of the military operation. Kuleba and Wang Yi agreed that the conflict should be resolved at the negotiating table. According to Reuters, their conversation lasted more than three hours.
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined the conditions for starting peace talks, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the LPR, DPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, international recognition of these four regions and Crimea as Russian territory, Kiev’s refusal to join NATO and the lifting of sanctions. Zelensky considered this initiative an ultimatum.
