Putin-Zelenskyy meeting possible after ‘positive developments’ in Russia-Ukraine negotiations

By Ateet Sharma

New Delhi, March 12: A meeting between the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelenskyy is "conceptually possible" but under certain conditions, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow on Friday.

The Kremlin spokesman however made it clear that the negotiators should first "do their job" before the meeting.

"Russia's position is no secret, it has been formulated and brought to the attention of Ukrainian negotiators. We are waiting to receive their clarifications," the Russian media quoted Peskov as saying.

While Peskov was briefing the media about the latest developments, Putin told Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in a meeting at the Kremlin that there are "certain positive developments" in the ongoing negotiations with Ukraine in Belarus, three rounds of which have already taken place.

"I will certainly inform you about the situation in the Ukrainian direction and, above all, about how the negotiations are going now, which are now being held almost on a daily basis. There are certain positive developments there, as our negotiators reported to me. I will tell about all this in more detail," the Russian President told Lukashenko.

While Turkey, buoyed by the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in Antalya on Thursday, has indicated playing a role in hosting Putin-Zelenskyy meeting in future, top diplomats from Ukraine said they are negotiating with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office on organising a meeting between the two heads of the state.

It was reported by the media in Kiev that, in an interview with the German TV channel ARD, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Igor Zhovkva also did not rule out discussions on a possible neutral status of Ukraine.

"The only serious negotiations that can be conducted with the Russians are possible at the presidential level. My president is ready for this. International partners should help us organize such a meeting. We are negotiating with the German Chancellor to organize such a meeting," Zhovkva was reported as saying.

Following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Ivanovych Kuleba in Antalya on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said Moscow wants to have a "serious conversation" on the Belarusian negotiation platform.

"I think that everyone is well aware that Russian President Vladimir Putin never refuses contacts. We only want these contacts to be organised not for their own sake, but in order to fix specific agreements. Today this topic was touched upon. I reminded D.I. Kuleba that we are always in favour of meeting if it helps to solve the problem," Lavrov said after the meeting.

Moscow has once again stated that it wants Ukraine to be neutral, without any militarization and is ready to discuss guarantees for the security of the Ukrainian state, "together with guarantees for the security of European countries and the security of Russia".

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2022-03-12-12:57:04
Source: IANS