Dmitry Peskov: Zelensky’s Statements Confirm Kiev’s Reluctance to Negotiate
Ukraine’s president today ruled out a third “Minsk deal” – a reference to the two failed ceasefire deals between Kyiv and Moscow over the status of the Donbass region
His statement Volodymyr Zelensky that there will be no “Minsk 3” agreement to end the war in Ukraine confirms that Kyiv is not interested in proceeding with peace talks with Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov estimated today, as reported by the RIA Novosti news agency.
Speaking via video conference at the G20 summit in Bali, Ukraine’s president today ruled out a third “Minsk deal” – a reference to the two failed ceasefire deals between Kyiv and Moscow over the status of its region Donbass in eastern Ukraine.
“We will not allow Russia to wait to build up forces and then launch a new round of terror and global destabilization. There will be no Minsk 3, which Russia will violate immediately after the agreement,” said Mr Zelensky.
Asked today if the statement confirmed that Kyiv does not intend to negotiate with Russia, Peskov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency: “Absolutely.”
Germany and France brokered the first Minsk agreements, signed in 2014 and 2015, for ceasefires in eastern Ukraine amid a war between Russia-backed separatists and Kiev. Both sides accused each other of violating the agreement.
Peace talks between the two sides have been few and far between in recent months after initial efforts to agree a truce brokered in Istanbul collapsed in the first weeks of the war.
