Russia has a 'goodwill gesture' as a condition for talks to stop the Ukraine war
Key Takeaways:
- The assault on Kyiv has also been halted, according to the Kremlin, as a 'goodwill gesture' to promote peace talks.
- Russia has indicated explicitly on numerous occasions that it demands legal assurances that Ukraine would never be allowed to join NATO, the Western military alliance.
Russia indicated on Wednesday that it is 'interested in terminating military operations' in Ukraine if Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agrees to 'conditions' set forward by Moscow during negotiations, according to Russian broadcaster RT.
According to the Kremlin, the onslaught on Kyiv has also been suspended as a 'goodwill gesture' to foster peace talks. "The withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region is a goodwill gesture to establish conditions for dialogue in which meaningful choices can be made," the Kremlin stated.
According to a senior US official, Russia has withdrawn around two-thirds of its forces from the Kyiv area, most of whom have been transported back to Belarus to redeploy elsewhere in Ukraine. "They've got approximately a third of the forces they deployed against Kyiv left," the officer told AFP news agency.
While Russia called the army pullout a "goodwill gesture," Western military analysts told AFP that the "failed Kyiv siege" was a "major defeat for the Russians."
Moscow has outlined its requirements.
On multiple occasions, Russia has stated unequivocally that it seeks legal assurances that Ukraine will never be permitted to join NATO, the Western military alliance. To entrench this, Russia wants Ukraine to rewrite its constitution.
Moscow has also requested that Ukraine recognize the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk, two pro-Russian territories in eastern Ukraine. Russia also wants Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, which it annexed in 2014.
Ukraine's position
"Security guarantees, a cease-fire, the departure of Russian soldiers, and the political resolution of disputed territory are key questions during the negotiations," Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating group, has remarked on many occasions.
The presidential adviser has also ruled out handing over any land in Ukraine. "Given the quantity of mutually exclusive positions, this process may take longer." There are a few compromises that we will not make. In March, Podolyak told Bloomberg that "we cannot give away any areas."
As the battle reaches day 42, heavy fighting and air attacks by Russian forces continue in the surrounded Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy urged the United Nations to do more to stop Moscow's aggression in his motherland, claiming that Russia was abusing its Security Council veto powers to stymie peace attempts.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will visit Kyiv this week to offer her support for Ukraine.
On February 24, Russia's invasion of Ukraine began when President Vladimir Putin launched a "special military operation" to demilitarise and "denazify" the pro-Western neighbor.