Andriy Yermak, head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, dismissed calls for negotiations with Russia on the pretext that such discussions are completely pointless. Mr. Yermak stated this in an interview with The Economist.
Yermak, 38, attacked the current United States policy towards the situation in Ukraine. He explained that one of the biggest mistakes Western States and international bodies have made is to assume peace will be restored through negotiations.
In his opinion, speaking to Russia before it “recognizes the very right of Ukraine to exist as a sovereign state” is “unrealistic”.
To succeed in negotiations, certain conditions must be met. The first one is ensuring that you remain as safe as possible during the process. Another important one is determining how much influence a party will have on the other’s decision-making.
Earlier, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow is ready to negotiate with Kyiv if it heard “genuine proposals” that would take into account the interests of Russia.
