In a scathing disapproval of the latest draft of the peace deal presented by Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister (FM) Sergey Lavrov on Thursday accused Ukrainian negotiators of changing their demands since the last talks in Istanbul, Turkey.
In a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov noted that the latest peace draft sent to Russia on April 6 represented a “departure from the most important provisions” that were agreed to and signed at the previous meeting. According to Lavrov, Kyiv had previously agreed to not include the Russia-occupied regions of Crimea and Sevastopol in future security guarantees, but the new draft goes against this promise and instead introduces “vague phrasing” about the issue.
🇷🇺 propagandists are as responsible for atrocities in 🇺🇦 as the army. For years, they’ve nurtured hatred for 🇺🇦 in media. Now the 🇷🇺 viewer wants 🇺🇦 blood and doesn’t accept excuses. If Moscow wants to show readiness for dialogue, the degree of hostility in media must be reduced.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) April 7, 2022
Lavrov also noted that the new draft emphasises that the issues of Crimea and Donbas will be discussed at a presidential meeting between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. Moreover, he said that Zelensky has affirmed that such a meeting with Putin can only take place following the “cessation of hostilities.” In this regard, Lavrov said Ukraine will continue to add more preconditions, asserting that such kind of behaviour is “unacceptable.”
The Russian FM then said that the new draft goes against certain conditionalities regarding Ukraine’s non-nuclear and neutral status. In the previous draft, Ukraine said it will conduct military exercises with foreign countries with the consent of all guarantor states, including Russia. However, in the latest draft, Kyiv said it can conduct military drills with the permission of the “majority” of its security guarantors, without even mentioning Moscow.
#Bucha provocation kills hope for Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
— Lina чипалина (@linok_ua) April 8, 2022
Civilians obviously do not benefit from the war… #Ukraine #UkraineRussianWar #UkraineRussia pic.twitter.com/T77cK3tqC6
Lavrov expressed his disappointment with the draft as he praised Russia’s efforts in bringing to life the resolution promised in the last meeting as well as Moscow’s military retreat from Kyiv and Chernihiv. He also took the time to highlight that the atrocities in Bucha were a “provocation” by Ukraine and instead accused “Ukrainian neo-Nazis” of committing brutalities against the captured Russian forces.
Nevertheless, the Russian diplomat underscored that Moscow is still open and committed to the peace talks, despite claiming that the “Kyiv regime is being controlled by Washington and its allies.”
In response, the lead Ukrainian negotiator and presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, dismissed Lavrov’s comments as a tactic to undermine future discussions. In a written statement to Reuters, Podolyak stated, “Mr. Lavrov is not directly related to the negotiation process, and so his statements are pure propaganda.”
(Reuters) - Ukraine and Russia are "constantly" holding peace talks online but the mood has been affected by events including the deaths of civilians in the town of Bucha, Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said
— Phil Stewart (@phildstewart) April 8, 2022
Talking about the negotiation process separately, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said, “Our task at the talks is to legally consolidate successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Their strength and courage form a negotiating position for us.”
Earlier this week, while reacting to the atrocities in Bucha, President Zelensky had asserted that finding a resolution with Russia will be more difficult. “If we don’t find a civilised solution, then Ukraine will find a non-civilised solution,” he warned.