Zelensky: Kyiv is ready for a public dialogue with Russia, and not "behind the curtains"

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is confident that the war between Russia and Ukraine will end with peaceful negotiations, but the decision to terminate hostilities should be mutual, and the outcome of negotiations is closely connected with the layout of forces on the battlefield.

“We all want peace and consistent resolution [conflict]. But at the same time, we must understand that if Russia and President Putin cease fighting and Ukraine will also cease the fighting, then the world will come,” Stoltenberg said in an interview with the BBC on Wednesday evening.

However, the Ukrainian authorities do not agree with this position. In Kyiv, it is believed that the cessation of hostilities and the beginning of peaceful negotiations will lead to freezing the conflict. This will give Russia the necessary respite to restore its combat effectiveness and repeat the invasion from new borders.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky insists that negotiations with Moscow are possible only after all Russian troops completely leave the captured territories, and guarantees that "this will no longer be repeated."

The day before , in an interview with reporters, Zelensky said that he received certain signals from leaders of other countries about the desire of Russia to begin negotiations. According to the Ukrainian president, Kyiv does not want to have relations with Russia "behind the scenes", but is ready for a public dialogue.

“I proposed a public uniform because Russia is waging a public war with Ukraine,” Zelensky quoted “Ukrainian Pravda” quoted.

Earlier, speaking with a video message to the participants of the Group 20 summit, Zelensky offered 10 steps to restore peace in Ukraine. At the same time, he urged other countries not to demand from Kyiv to go to "a compromise with conscience, sovereignty, territory and independence."

Russia must confirm the territorial integrity of Ukraine, withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine and pay compensation for damage. In addition, among the conditions of negotiations with Russia, Zelensky called security guarantees, radiation and nuclear security and the release of all prisoners.

The Kremlin said that the conditions put forward by President Vladimir Zelensky confirm the position of Ukraine on the refusal of negotiations. Therefore, Moscow will continue to achieve its goals as part of a “special military operation”, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry called an unacceptable condition for the withdrawal of troops to start negotiations with Ukraine.

Negotiations of Russia and Ukraine were stopped in May. In early October, Zelensky signed a decree according to which negotiations with Russia are impossible while Vladimir Putin remains the president there. This happened shortly after Moscow annexation of a number of occupied Ukrainian regions. Putin stated that Russia is ready for negotiations, but is not ready to discuss the fate of the annexed territories.

In recent days, against the backdrop of success at the front of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, politics and leaders of different countries are increasingly talking about the possibility of resuming negotiations. However, they emphasize that only Ukraine will decide under what conditions and how it will happen.