Suggestion “a bit bizarre”
Zelensky’s advisor: talks with Moscow would be tantamount to surrender

11/20/2022 1:53 pm

With a counter-offensive, Ukrainian troops liberated areas such as Chersonese from the Russian invaders. Presidential adviser Podoljak described proposals that Kyiv should hold talks with Moscow as “bizarre”. For him, this would not only be tantamount to capitulation, but would also play into the hands of Russia.

Ukraine has again rejected offers for talks with Russia. “When you take the initiative on the battlefield, it is a bit strange to receive such suggestions: ‘You won’t achieve everything through military means anyway, you have to negotiate,'” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s president, told AFP. Told in Q. This would mean that the country “which recovers its territories must surrender to the losing country”.

US media recently reported that senior US officials were urging Ukraine to consider talks with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has so far rejected such proposals without the prior withdrawal of Russian troops from all of Ukraine. US Chief of Staff Mark Milley recently said that military victory is unlikely to be achieved by military means.

“Russia doesn’t want talks”

According to Podoljak, Moscow has so far made “no direct offers” to Kyiv for peace talks. Instead, Russia prefers to channel these through intermediaries and negotiate a ceasefire. Kyiv views such talks as maneuvers by Moscow to buy time and prepare for a new offensive. “Russia doesn’t want talks. Russia is running a communication campaign called ‘Talks,'” Podoliak said.

Ukraine retaliated in late August. Since then, Ukrainian forces have been able to retake some territory from Russia, including the strategically important regional capital of Kherson in the south of the country. Russia has recently repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. There were frequent power failures in many parts of the country.