[Regnum] President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has named an acceptable way for Kiev to end hostilities in the country through diplomatic negotiations. To do this, the Ukrainian leader said, Russian troops must withdraw to the 1991 borders, The Economist reported.He emphasized that if Russian President Vladimir Putin now retreats to the 1991 borders, which include not only the southeast of Ukraine, but also Crimea, then a possible path of diplomacy will begin. At the same time, the Ukrainian leader pointed out that a return to the borders on February 24 would not lead to an end to the conflict, because Ukraine would not have a clear understanding of "what security guarantees are." Zelensky said that these are “not our” borders.
As IA Regnum reported , earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that the country has never abandoned negotiations that could lead to peace in Ukraine. According to him, the key to solving the problem of Ukraine is on the side of the West.
The head of state noted that if Western countries really want peace, then it is enough for them to stop supplying weapons to Kyiv. As the president stressed, in this case, Ukraine itself will soon want to sit down at the negotiating table.
First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov, in an interview with Regnum news agency, said that Russia does not exclude peace talks with Ukraine, and they may take place soon, but this does not mean that the goals of the special operation and its completion are achieved. The senator pointed out that Russia has never been against peace negotiations, but Ukraine has always put forward impossible conditions - one of Kyiv's points was the restoration of Ukraine's borders as of 1991. Jabarov stressed that this is impossible.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the opinion in the West that the situation in Ukraine will end with negotiations, but first Russia must be defeated, a schizophrenic position. Another important aspect, according to him, is on what basis they want negotiations.
He recalled that the United States, the EU and NATO have firmly, repeatedly, uncompromisingly stated that the basis of the negotiations is the notorious ten-point formula of the President of Ukraine. In addition, according to the vision of the Western countries, Russia must first go beyond the borders of 1991, the Russian leadership must go to court, Moscow must pay reparations, and only after these preconditions are met will a peace treaty be concluded.
