A veiled appeal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for direct peace talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin contradicts Kiev’s decision to freeze all negotiations with Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out on Friday. Then again, the Ukrainian government has a habit of taking positions that contradict each other, he added.
Zelensky said he had wanted to negotiate with Putin on multiple occasions both before and after Russia attacked his country. One of the recent remarks of that nature came this week on a video call during a working breakfast of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Ukrainian president said Putin was the only Russian official worth talking to, dismissing the rest of the Russian government as “nobodies.” Putin himself is delusional, Zelensky claimed, but “if he is able to realize” what the Ukrainian leader called the reality, “then, probably, we may try and go the diplomatic way, unless it is too late.”
When asked for comments about the remarks, Peskov said Moscow didn’t believe Kiev was willing to negotiate peace.
“The talks have been frozen after a decision by and in accordance with the stance of the Ukrainian side,” he said.
“The Ukrainian leadership constantly makes statements that contradict each other, which makes it impossible to fully understand its intentions and whether it is ready to take a sober approach and acknowledge the real state of affairs,” he added.