The fourth round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place on Monday, while fighting in Ukrainian territory rages on for the 18th consecutive day with Russia encircling key cities and being one step away from invading Kiev.
Talks between Russia and Ukraine are not taking place at the moment but will resume on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed, according to Russia's Tass news agency.
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Peskov made these statements after Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich claimed that the two sides are holding talks today, focusing mainly on the situation in Mariupol.
Arestovich also said that Ukraine has deployed enough troops in Mariupol to prevent it from being overrun by the Russian forces that have surrounded it.
It is noted that the new round of talks will be held via teleconference.
In the background meeting between Putin and Zelensky?
Although no agreement on the ceasefire and humanitarian corridors was reached during the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov and Dmitry Kuleba, respectively, in the last 24 hours both sides have been talking about a slight progress in the talks between the two sides, which may pave the way for a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
"There are some positive signs in Russia's talks with Ukraine, as Russian negotiators have conveyed to me," Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday.
This follows statements by Peskov that the Kremlin does not rule out a meeting between the two presidents, but it should be fully prepared to produce results.
"No one is ruling out the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky. Theoretically, it is indeed possible," Peskov said, commenting on a statement by Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin that a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents could take place soon.
At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman noted that "first, delegations and ministers should do part of the work needed to ensure that the presidents do not meet just to meet, but hold contacts that will yield results."
"Russia's position is not a secret, it has been formulated and brought to the attention of Ukrainian negotiators."
"Russia's position is not a secret, it has been formulated and brought to the attention of Ukrainian negotiators. We are waiting to receive their clarifications," Peskov added.
"I want negotiations with Russia and tangible results," Zelensky says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his call for direct negotiations with Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
The Ukrainian president hopes Israel will help so that a meeting with Vladimir Putin can take place in Jerusalem, thanks to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's "significant positive influence" on the Russian leadership.
According to Reuters, Zelensky said the two countries' negotiating teams were discussing "solid" proposals and "not exchanging ultimatums".
Final Putin proposal to Zelensky?
According to the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post, Russia has submitted a final proposal to Ukraine, which Volodymyr Zelensky is asked to accept or reject, but is in an extremely difficult position.
As the Israeli newspaper reports, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett went to Moscow on Saturday not so much to cut a proposal as to see how and what Vladimir Putin is thinking so that he can then inform Western governments.
Citing people with knowledge of the talks, the Jerusalem Post reports that the proposal to Ukraine is "difficult" (meaning, in terms of acceptance) but not "unlikely." But it is also worse than the one Zelensky would have accepted before the invasion. In any case, "the gap between the two countries" is not large, the newspaper insists.
Moreover, Putin has agreed to halt the advance of his forces (a temporary ceasefire has been ordered), waiting for Zelensky's decision.
What happens if Kiev rejects the proposal? French President Emmanuel Macron had predicted this in his statements: "The worst will happen." And it is said to be an order from the Russian president "to change the face of Ukraine" with ruthless bombardment.
After all, Putin has reached a point from which he cannot back down or retreat and must present victories.
On the other hand, the Jerusalem Post's sources say, Zelensky is divided. On the one hand, he enjoys his enormous popularity that makes him a kind of Che Guevara of our time, but he also knows the end of the Argentine revolutionary.
The sources say the Ukrainian president can strengthen Ukraine's independence, but the cost will be heavy. He will probably cede Donbass, recognize Russian-speaking separatists, promise not to join NATO and declare that Ukraine will be neutral.
If he rejects the proposal, he will see tens of thousands of Ukrainian deaths and possibly the end of his country's independence. In this context, Bennett's trip to Moscow was more about "taking the temperature" of Putin's moods.
The real negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are more serious than the West claims, which is even unaware of their content from Kiev.
The Ukrainians, the Jerusalem Post concludes, are well aware of the content of the Russian proposals and will respond within days. Whatever the response will be, it will be dramatic, no matter what. And it is on Zelensky's shoulders.
Source: in.gr
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