By Anthony Marcus, correspondent. Eurasia Business News, July 29, 2024. Article n°1122.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, said that the moment is approaching when Russia and Ukraine should start negotiations.

 “We are reaching a point where negotiations must begin” The leader, a firm supporter of Kiev, believes that the Russian withdrawal from the occupied territories cannot be put forward as a precondition for possible talks.

According to Stubb, Zelensky wanted to take the lead from the very beginning in the process of discussing a settlement on Ukraine. Now “the ball is in Russia’s court.”

Answering the question of whether it is time to talk about negotiations or even territorial concessions from Ukraine, Stubb noted that it is necessary to distinguish between a possible process of discussion, which is not an end in itself, and peace. According to him, Russia must withdraw its troops.

Stubb added that Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who allegedly “occupies a strong position towards Russia,” will be able to help end the conflict.

The Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 was a failure, costly in terms of men and equipment, despite several months of preparation. The objectives set at the beginning of the offensive – “significant breakthroughs” and “a significant amount of territory retaken from the Russians” – have not been achieved, despite the significant efforts of the Ukrainians and the support of the allies. This setback was a major blow to the morale and credibility of the Ukrainian army.

In the absence of progress on land, Kiev has achieved a number of successes in the Black Sea, against the ships of the Russian fleet. Strikes against Russian naval forces have reopened the grain corridor for Ukrainian exports.

Read also : Gold : Build Your Wealth and Freedom

Russia launched a special operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 to protect the Russian population of Donbass from the Kyiv regime, as well as to “denazify and demilitarize” the Ukrainian state. During the fighting, the troops took control of the Lugansk People’s Republic, as well as most of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. These territories became part of Russia in September 2022 following referendums, the results of which Ukraine does not recognize.

Advertisements

In mid-June 2024, the Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed conditions for resolving the conflict, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from new regions and their recognition by Kyiv, as well as the lifting of Western sanctions. Ukraine rejected the initiative. But already at the end of July, in an interview with the Western press, President Zelensky allowed the possibility of negotiations with Vladimir Putin, although a law that prohibits direct negotiations with Russia continues to be in force in Ukraine.

Our community already has nearly 135,000 readers!

Subscribe to our Telegram channel

Notify me when a new article is published:

Follow us on Telegram, Facebook and Twitter

© Copyright 2024 – Eurasia Business News. Article No. 1122.