RT: Vladimir Zelensky © Getty Images / SOPA Images / Contributor
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), Rustem Umerov, has proposed holding a new round of talks with Russia next week, Vladimir Zelensky has announced. A source in Russia’s negotiating team has confirmed to RT that the offer was received.
The two sides have held two rounds of direct negotiations in Istanbul so far this year, with Umerov leading the Ukrainian delegation. At their most recent meeting in June, the negotiators exchanged draft proposals outlining their visions for a peace deal and agreed on further prisoner exchanges. Moscow has since confirmed its readiness to continue the talks.
“The pace of negotiations must be increased. Everything must be done to achieve a ceasefire,” Zelensky stated in his Saturday evening remarks.
Last month in Istanbul, the Russian delegation offered a conditional ceasefire, saying Moscow would agree to a truce if Kiev took meaningful steps to deescalate, including suspending deliveries of Western military aid. The proposal was rejected.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also accused Ukraine of seeking a pause in the fighting to rearm and regroup its forces. Moscow has warned that it will not accept the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, even if they are deployed in the guise of peacekeepers.
Zelensky once again sought a personal meeting with Putin “to truly ensure peace – a really lasting one,” saying that Kiev is ready for such a summit.
The Ukrainian leader’s presidential term expired last year, and Moscow considers him illegitimate. In June, Putin said he was open to meeting with the actor-turned-politician, but suggested that Zelensky lacks the legitimacy to sign binding agreements.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently said that Zelensky was pushing for one-on-one talks in an effort to defend his legitimacy and resist Western attempts to remove him from power.
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By Independent News Roundup