Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outlined a series of conditions required to end Ukraine’s war in his address to world leaders gathered in Bali.
He stated, virtually from Ukraine, that Russia must reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory, and compensate for damage caused.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Zelensky has called for an international meeting to “solid essential elements of the postwar security architecture” so as to give Ukraine security guarantees against Russia.
“When all anti-war measures are implemented, a document confirming the end of the war should be signed by the parties,” he tersely stated.
Throughout his speech, Putin specifically complimented the “G19” – excluding Russia – for making it plain that “no justifications for nuclear blackmail” existed.
It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not present, but his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was at the Bali meeting.
In a different context, a French official said Monday that President Emmanuel Macron will call Russian President Vladimir Putin following the Group of 20 Summit in Bali, where Russia is anticipated to face intense pressure.
The senior Elysee official told journalists that Macron “will call him after the G20,” lamenting Putin’s “isolation” over the war in Ukraine.
It is worth noting that the summit is considered the biggest gathering by the group of leaders since the pandemic began.
According to knowledgeable sources, US President Joe Biden’s administration is secretly pressing Kiev to demonstrate a willingness to negotiate with Moscow.
Washington does not want Ukraine to start negotiations with Russia but rather to reassure Kiev it has the support of other countries, according to the newspaper. “Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners,” one US official told The Washington Post.
The discussions highlight how complicated the Biden administration’s position on Ukraine has become, as US officials publicly pledge to support Kiev with massive sums of aid “for as long as it takes” while hoping for a resolution to the conflict that has taken a toll on the world economy and sparked fears of nuclear war over the past eight months.
While US officials claim, alongside their Ukrainian counterparts that Putin is “not serious” about talks, for the time being, they acknowledge that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ban on talks has caused concern in parts of Europe, Africa, and Latin America, where the war’s disruptive effects on the availability and cost of food and fuel are most acute, according to the WSJ.
Following the start of the war in late February, Russia-Ukraine talks began. The final round of talks in Istanbul concluded on March 29. The discussions have since come to a standstill.
In late September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was still open to talks with Kiev and called on Ukraine to stop the hostilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, stated that Kiev was ready for dialogue with Moscow, but only if another president came to power in Russia.
The WSJ reported that the Kremlin responded that Moscow would wait for a change in the stance of Ukraine’s current President or his successor.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
