Representatives of Ukraine will not be present at the talks with Russia in Gomel, Ukrainian president’s press secretary Serhiy Nikiforov has said.
“We heard statements that the Russian delegation arrived in Gomel for negotiations. I must say that there will be no representatives of Ukraine there.”
“Such a format was indeed discussed. But at the last moment, the Russian negotiators demanded that the Ukrainian army must first lay down their arms. It was proposed to follow the “Russian warship.” Therefore, their today’s statements and decisions defiantly go to Gomel, despite everything, are just informational pressure and an attempt to shift the responsibility for the disruption to Ukraine,” he said on his Facebook page.
Nikiforov said that Ukraine is ready for negotiations, but is not ready to listen to any preconditions. This also applies to the venue.
“We cannot go to Belarus, from whose territory planes and missiles are sent to our cities. Also, in matters of the security of our delegation, we would have to rely on the guarantees of the host country. Given the previous events, such guarantees cost very little,” the press secretary of the head of state said.
According to him, the position of Ukraine remains unchanged.
“We are ready to meet in any neutral place: Baku, Istanbul, Warsaw, Vienna… Continue on your own. We continue to invite Russia to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible and save the lives of its military. Every day of delay will cost the Russian Federation irreparable human and economic losses,” he said.
© 2022 Interfax Ukraine
Russia is humiliating Belarus and is trying to put Ukraine in unacceptable ultimatum-like conditions, Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the President’s Office, said on Sunday.
“The manipulation of the Russian side with the negotiation process is obvious. Russia is simply humiliating Belarus by using it. Russia is trying to put Ukraine in unacceptable ultimatum-like conditions, which we have long and categorically refused,” he said in a comment distributed on Sunday. “But at the same time, they are trying to tell the world that, supposedly, they are the most ready for negotiations, arrange an obvious performance called “We are going to Gomel” and … begin to destroy our infrastructure with already heavy bombing and large-scale shelling of residential areas with cruise missiles,” he said.
According to him, “with such a dirty behavior of the Russian side, even in the topic of negotiations, one can definitely count on an even greater negative reaction from the West and even greater sanctions packages. To the total exclusion of Russia from any international communications. Since everyone knows perfectly well what the negotiations should be like in the current conditions.”
“Agreed format, agreed place, real content and a fair result. This is possible if Russia stops putting on its manipulative performances around the negotiations,” Podoliak said.
Everybody and their mothers have tried to negotiate with these pathological lying Russian scum.
Tell them to strap themselves up to the Lie Detector Machine while they’re negotiating, the lie detector machine will blow up with all their lies.
If Zelensky wants to try again, for the sake of peace, then God-Speed, however I don’t trust Pootin one bit.
Could be a trick.