Friday 23 April 2021
But not in Ukraine
Putin ready to meet Zelenskyi
The Russian troops on the border with eastern Ukraine are to give way and Russian President Putin is signaling that he is ready to talk to his Ukrainian counterpart. However, he does not want to leave Moscow for this. And he completely excluded one topic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown himself ready to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyi – not in eastern Ukraine as suggested by Zelenskyi, but in the Russian capital Moscow. “If it is a question of developing bilateral relations, then please. We will receive the President of Ukraine in Moscow at any time that is convenient for him,” Putin said, according to the Interfax agency.
Against the background of the tense situation in eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyi had previously proposed a meeting to the Kremlin chief in the Donbass conflict area. “I am ready to go further and offer you a meeting at any point in the Ukrainian Donbass where there is war,” the 43-year-old said in a speech in Russian. Putin then said that if Zelenskyi wanted to discuss the problems in Donbass, he would have to meet with the leaders of the eastern Ukrainian separatist areas of Luhansk and Donetsk.
For about seven years, parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions along the Russian border have been controlled by pro-Russian insurgents. According to UN estimates, more than 13,000 people have been killed since the conflict broke out in 2014. A peace plan agreed in 2015 is on hold.
A massive Russian troop deployment near the Ukrainian border and on the annexed Crimean peninsula had caused fears of an escalation of tensions in the region in recent weeks. Now Russia has announced the withdrawal of several military units. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a visit to Crimea, according to the Tass Agency, that the soldiers had passed the test of their defense readiness and would return to their permanent stations from this Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the relocation of the Russian soldiers. “The reduction in the number of troops at our border reduces the tension accordingly,” wrote Zelenskyj on Twitter.
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