Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on Tuesday declaring that negotiations between Ukraine and Vladimir Putin are “impossible”.
The decree thus formalizes the comments made by the Ukrainian president on Friday after the Russian president declared the annexation of four regions of Ukraine.
“He (Putin) does not know what dignity and honesty are. That is why we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia.”Ukraine’s leader said on Friday.
The first clause of the decree, which was drafted on September 30 by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, reads: “[A Ucrânia decidiu] declare the impossibility of conducting negotiations with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin”.
In response, the Kremlin says the conflict will thus continue, adding that the presence of “both sides” is needed to negotiate.
“Either we wait for the current president to change his position, or we wait for the next president to change his position for the sake of the Ukrainian people.”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin formalized in Moscow on Friday the annexation of four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporijia – areas partially occupied by Russia in eastern and southern Ukraine, after holding referendums voted by much of considered illegal by the international community.
The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, ratified the annexation treaties of the Ukrainian regions on Tuesday.
The four regions represent about 15% of Ukraine’s territory, or about 100,000 square kilometers, slightly more than the size of countries like Hungary and Portugal or slightly less than Bulgaria, according to the Spanish agency EFE.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on Feb. 24 has already resulted in more than 13 million people having fled — more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.4 million to European countries — according to the most recent UN data, which rank this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the generality of the international community, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and Russia of political and economic sanctions.
Source: DN
