OPEN LETTER/ Come to the dialogue and listen to me speak, otherwise I will cut off your scholarships, you will rot in prison. Please!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Putin "softens": I am ready for peace talks, but not with Zelensky!

2025-01-29 15:39:29Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Putin "softens": I am ready for peace talks, but not with Zelensky!
Volodymyr Zelensky/Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again ruled out the possibility of direct peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , calling them "illegitimate."

This statement prompted the Ukrainian leader to accuse Putin of being "afraid" to negotiate a solution to the almost three-year war.

"You can negotiate with anyone, but because of his illegitimacy, he [Zelensky] has no right to sign anything," Putin told Russian state television, Rossiya 1TV, on the evening of January 28.

He added that he would "assign people to participate" in the negotiations if Zelensky were present, instead of holding face-to-face talks.

Putin has repeatedly stated that he does not consider Zelensky a legitimate leader, as his five-year presidential term was due to end on May 20, 2024.

The elections were supposed to be held on March 31st of last year, but were postponed as the country is still under a state of war due to the occupation launched by Moscow.

Zelensky, who under the Constitution must continue to serve until a new president is elected, responded to Putin's claim, saying the Russian leader is an obstacle to talks to end the fighting.

"Today, Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders and is doing everything he can to prolong the war," Zelensky wrote on social media.

"Now, we see that there is a possibility of achieving a real peace, but Putin is doing everything to continue the full-scale killing instead of peace, or for a pause to prepare for a new large-scale invasion, carrying out hybrid attacks."

Ukraine has declared a state of war since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and needs to change the law in order to hold elections while the state of war is in effect.

Zelensky is urging the United States to pressure Moscow to end the war, amid intensifying reports of behind-the-scenes negotiations to resolve the conflict since Donald Trump took office as president.

Since his inauguration on January 20, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions on goods going from Russia to the US and other countries if Moscow does not sit at the negotiating table.

"If you don't make a deal soon, I will have no choice but to impose high tariffs and sanctions on everything Russia sells to the US and several other countries," Trump wrote on January 22 on Truth Social.

These threats appear to contradict Trump's past praise of Putin, criticism of U.S. aid to Ukraine, and his desire for a quick end to the fighting, which has fueled concerns among Ukraine's supporters that he could sacrifice Kiev's interests in the name of a deal and thus strengthen Russia.

The Kremlin has responded to Trump's harsh statements, saying that there is "no new element" in them.

Ukraine has been losing ground on the battlefield for almost a year now, as Russia's larger and better-armed army continues to breach Ukrainian defenses and inflict casualties.

One of Kiev's biggest problems is the challenge of recruiting enough soldiers to fill its ranks. Zelensky has resisted calls to lower the conscription age to 18, saying it would destroy the country's demographics./REL


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×