Ukraine says Russia agrees to Kiev’s proposals, Moscow says everything is not ready

Associated CNN On April 3, David Arakhamia, Ukraine’s chief negotiator, added that the Russian side had responded positively to Kiev’s proposals on a number of issues that could lead to direct talks between the President. Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Russian Federation has given an official answer to all the proposals, that is, it accepts Ukraine’s position, except for the issue of Crimea (which Russia annexed in 2014).”Mr. Arakhamia said.

Earlier at the 5th round of negotiations in Istanbul (March 29), Ukraine made a series of proposals on a path to a ceasefire agreement between the two sides, including a commitment that Kiev would maintain a neutral position. The country does not join military alliances, in exchange for a security guarantee.

Mr Arakhamia also said that although “there is no official confirmation in writing”, the Russian side had agreed “verbally”. In addition, Moscow agreed that a referendum on Ukraine’s neutrality status “would be the only way out of this situation”.

Asked what would happen if Ukrainians voted against neutrality, Mr Arakhamia said his country “may return to a state of war, or return to new negotiations“.

In response to the Ukrainian side’s statement, Russia’s chief negotiator, Boris Medinsky, said that a draft of a truce between the two sides is not ready to be presented at the next round of negotiations. However, Ukraine has been more pragmatic in its approach to neutrality and denuclearization.

“The Ukrainian side has been more pragmatic in approaching issues related to its neutrality status and denuclearization, but the draft of the agreement is not ready to be presented at high-level talks between the two sides. “, Mr. Medinsky wrote on Telegram today 3/4.

Commenting on Mr. Arakhamia’s remarks, Mr. Medinsky said that Russia’s position on the status quo of Crimea and the Donbass region (two self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine) remains unchanged.

Medinsky added that Moscow has been trying to keep Ukraine neutral and secure since 2014, but Kiev has not recognized Moscow’s efforts.

The head of the Russian negotiating delegation said that the next round of negotiations between the two sides will continue on Monday (April 4), after online talks on April 1 and 2.

The status quo of the Crimean peninsula is one of the key points in the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine considers the peninsula to be illegally occupied by Russia. Meanwhile Moscow maintains its stance on the annexation of the peninsula.

As for future negotiations, Arakhamia said that a meeting between Zelensky and Putin is “highly likely” to take place in Turkey.

“Neither date, time nor location have been confirmed, but we believe the most likely location will be Ankara or Istanbul.”Mr. Arakhamia said.

On April 1, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called both the leaders of Ukraine and Russia, saying that Turkey was ready to host this important meeting.