A US State Department spokesman said that Russia “shows no interest in peace talks” on Ukraine. In response, Moscow was surprised and accused the American official of lying, pointing out that it was Washington that disrupted the negotiation process in the spring of 2022, and later initiated a ban on contacts with the Russian side. In Kyiv, meanwhile, they also show no desire to discuss a peace agreement.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that no talks with Russia on a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine are currently underway. According to him, the only reason for this is the unwillingness of Moscow.
“I would like to clarify who will lead the negotiations, which are not currently taking place. There are no peace negotiations with Russia now, since the Russian Federation has refused to enter into a meaningful dialogue about peace, ”the official said during a briefing (quoted by RIA Novosti).
At the same time, Washington is ready to play “any possible constructive role” to support Kiev in the context of a future peace dialogue, Miller assured.
“We will also welcome the constructive contribution of any other country to this process,” he stressed.
“Here are the liars”
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in turn, called Miller a “liar” and accused the American authorities of disrupting negotiations that Moscow and Kyiv began to conduct in the spring of 2022.
“Here are the liars! They know perfectly well that they themselves told Zelensky to curtail negotiations in April 2022, they themselves initiated the Kiev regime’s ban on peace negotiations with Russia in September 2022, they themselves have publicly stated repeatedly for a year that it’s not the time for negotiations, but they still blame Russia, ”Maria’s post says Zakharova on Telegram .
The diplomat suggested that if Miller is not lying, then he simply does not follow the statements of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken .
“If Matthew Miller reads an interview with his boss Blinken from April 2023, he will understand that he gave either a barbell or a thrush,” Zakharova summed up.
“On the battlefield”
Adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Mikhail Podolyak , today reiterated that Kiev does not intend to speak with Moscow “at this stage of the conflict.”
“In the current disposition, there can be no negotiation process. The status quo must be changed on the battlefield. This means … more weapons, missiles and aircraft, ”he wrote on social networks.
According to Podolyak, Ukrainians are not only against negotiations, but also against a possible “pause in the conflict.” Under such a scenario, Moscow will immediately “begin to prepare for the next round,” they are sure in Kyiv.
On August 5-6, consultations on Ukraine were held in Jeddah, organized on the initiative of the crown prince of the kingdom, Mohammed bin Salman, who is in contact with both Russia and Ukraine.
The State Department called the meeting “productive.” “We found it productive that a number of countries were able to hear directly from Ukraine about the violence that Russia inflicts on it, as well as about its vision of a just and lasting peace that would preserve their territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Miller said.
Source : gazeta.ru
