BAKU, August 6. The Russian Security Council Secretary, Sergey Shoigu, revealed on Tuesday that Ukraine has not yet responded to the peace proposals put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. According to Shoigu, almost two months have passed since Putin’s proposal was made, and there is still no response from Kyiv.
The lack of response has led Shoigu to assert that discussing topics such as the Geneva conference on Ukraine or any other formats would not make sense at this point. The Russian official added that holding negotiations without a key negotiator seems quite unusual.
In June, Putin proposed new terms for resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. These terms included recognizing Crimea and the four newly established Russian regions as part of Russia, enshrining Ukraine’s non-aligned and non-nuclear status, its demilitarization and denazification, as well as lifting all sanctions imposed on Russia. However, Ukraine has rejected this initiative put forth by Putin.
The Russian leader also highlighted that the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cannot be restored now that his presidential term has come to an end. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified that Putin has not entirely dismissed the possibility of engaging in talks with Ukraine, as there are other legitimate executive bodies within the country.
This lack of response from Ukraine raises concerns about the prospects for peace negotiations between the two nations and highlights the growing tension between them. As the conflict continues to escalate, it remains uncertain whether or when Ukraine will respond to Putin’s proposals and engage in meaningful dialogue with Russia in order to find a solution to this ongoing crisis.