Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine over a possible ceasefire are taking a negative turn, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying on Thursday that Kyiv had presented a document with clear differences. from the original Istanbul Agreement.
More specifically, Mr. Lavrov referred to discrepancies in the guarantees concerning Crimea and Sevastopol. “Ukraine presented yesterday – s.s. on Wednesday – its draft agreement to the negotiating team, which marks a clear departure from the most important provisions recorded at the Istanbul meeting on March 29, in a document signed by the head of the Ukrainian delegation “pointed out.
According to the Russian Foreign Minister, the Istanbul document stated that future guarantees of security and territorial integrity for Ukraine would not apply to Crimea and Sevastopol. “However, there are no such statements in the draft agreement presented yesterday by the Ukrainian side”noted Mr. Lavrov and added: “In addition, there is a proposal that the issues of Crimea and Donbass should be included in the agenda of the meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.”.
“Certainly, Ukraine will then demand the withdrawal of Russian troops and will continue to add conditions. The plan is clear and unacceptable. “he added the Russian Foreign Minister.
Lavrov also said that Russian troops had de-escalated the situation in the Kiev and Chernihiv regions after the Istanbul meeting as a gesture of goodwill to facilitate efforts to reach an agreement. «In response, a provocation was organized in Bouka, which the West immediately used to introduce another package of sanctions. “Ukrainian neo-Nazis have committed atrocities against Russian prisoners of war,” he said.
According to him, the document signed by the head of the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul says that Ukraine will be able to host military exercises in which foreign forces will participate only with the consent of all guarantor countries, including Russia. “However, the draft document presented yesterday does not contain this clear provision either and speaks of the possibility of conducting exercises with the consent of the majority of the guarantor countries, without mentioning Russia,” Lavrov explained.
Finally, according to the Russian minister, Kyiv withdrew from a condition that Moscow could oppose any future military exercises involving foreign forces on Ukrainian territory.
“We see with this that the Kiev regime is controlled by Washington and its allies, who are pushing President Zelensky to continue fighting,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia nevertheless now wants to continue talks and to ensure its own requirements. “Despite the challenges, the Russian delegation will continue with the negotiation process, pushing for our draft agreement that clearly and fully describes our initial and basic positions and requirements,” he said.
Lavrov’s statement is propagandistic, Kyiv responds
In a written statement to Reuters, Ukrainian negotiator Mikhail Pontoliak dismissed the Russian foreign minister’s comments, saying Lavrov was not directly involved in the talks and that his statements were “purely propagandistic”.
Pontoliak said Moscow wanted to divert attention from the events in the city of Bukhara, where Ukraine accuses Russian troops of killing civilians, adding: “This is how we should look at any such statements,” he said.
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