Russia wants to negotiate with Ukraine to prepare a new attack, according to kyiv
An adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mikhaïlo Podoliak, told Agence France-Presse on Monday that for weeks Moscow “seeks to convince Ukraine to enter into negotiations” for “freeze the conflict while preserving the status quo in the occupied Ukrainian territories”.
Mr Podoliak believes that in reality Moscow “does not want a dialogue” of serious peace but seeks to obtain “an operational break for his army” before throwing “a new offensive”.
kyiv, for its part, rejects any negotiated solution for the territories under Russian occupation, which it aspires to take back, as well as those under the control of pro-Russian separatists in the East and Crimea annexed in 2014.
“All other scenarios (…) represent only a dangerous operational pause before a new round of war”said Mr. Podoliak, while assuring that “the Ukrainians will resist as long as it takes”.
“It’s an existential war, we have no other solution. Giving up the struggle will not only mean the destruction of the Ukrainian state but also that of all its civilians”he insisted.
Initial negotiations between kyiv and Moscow in the first weeks of the war did not yield results.