In Moscow, a new stage of increased rhetoric regarding negotiations with Ukraine is being marked, which is probably an attempt to pressure the West to obtain concessions on the issue of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
During the week, two high-ranking russian officials made statements about the Kremlin's readiness for negotiations on Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense of the russian federation, in a press release about the conversation between Sergey Shoigu and his French colleague Sebastian Lecornu, declared "readiness for dialogue regarding Ukraine." However, a source in the French government denied this, saying that such claims are false.
The next day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the russian federation, Sergey Lavrov, "facilitated information operations, pretending to be interested in negotiations." At a meeting with foreign ambassadors, Lavrov declared his readiness for negotiations but emphasized that russia does not consider it necessary to communicate with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The ISW report emphasizes that russian officials falsely blame Ukraine and the West for the lack of initiatives for peace negotiations. However, the facts themselves indicate the opposite. ISW emphasizes that russia's maximalist goals remain unchanged, and any declarations of readiness for negotiations are attempts to pressure the West.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on March 7, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that China supports holding an international peace conference that would be recognized by russia and Ukraine.
On March 19, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkiye, Hakan Fidan, said that this year, there are no prerequisites for ending russia's war against Ukraine.
On March 27, the German publication Die Welt reported that Europe is discussing freezing the war in Ukraine in 2024.
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