Article

2023-11-30 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

'Point of No Return Has Passed': Here's Why Kyiv Won't Sit Down with the Kremlin

[News18] When delegations from Moscow and Kyiv met in Belarus for secretive peace talks weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, it took Ukraine’s lead negotiator less than an hour to lose hope.

To end the war, Russia had dispatched a former culture minister — infamous for a PhD plagiarism scandal — and a firebrand nationalist who had recently faced down sexual harassment allegations.

"It was about 45 minutes into the first round of talks that the intellectual level of these people became clear — their lack of understanding that the war was a war," Mykhaylo Podolyak told AFP during a recent interview in Kyiv.

"These people were not prepared to negotiate. They were just technical staff with nearly no influence in Russia. They came, read out certain ultimatums, and that’s it!" the presidential advisor added.

Almost two years after those meetings collapsed, there are growing calls for Ukrainian officials to return to negotiations with the Kremlin to hash out a diplomatic end to the fighting.

Those pleas are coming in the wake of a disappointing Ukrainian counteroffensive that — despite stockpiles of Western weapons — failed to win back territory in the south or east.

And they are building as concerns grow over the West’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, and disruptions to ammunition deliveries.

But for Ukraine, talks are off the table.

Posted by Besoeker 2023-11-30 09:25|| || Front Page|| [11132 views ] Top

#1 well, actually, Ukraine has won some territory but it isn't that much

deepest advance is about 6 miles in the South

this year's UK counteroffensive would have done much better with more equipment, esp tanks and mine clearing stuff

Posted by lord garth 2023-11-30 09:46|| 2023-11-30 09:46|| Front Page Top

#2 Russia's position is, they want what they wanted, and that's what they want.

Posted by ed in texas 2023-11-30 12:35|| 2023-11-30 12:35|| Front Page Top

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