Ukraine sets the premise for the meeting between Zelensky and Putin
Zelensky will only meet his Russian counterpart Putin after the fighting situation in the Donbass has ended, adviser to the Ukrainian President Mykhailo Podolyak said.
Speaking on television today, Podolyak said the country’s military needs to push back Russian forces in the eastern Donbass region in order to increase the negotiating advantage for President Volodymyr Zelensky before meetings with the Russian president. Vladimir Putin could take place.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Zelensky, speaks to the media after the meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Belarus on February 28. Image: AFP.
“Ukraine is ready for big battles. Ukraine must win, especially in the Donbass. And when that happens, Ukraine will have a stronger negotiating position,” the news agency said. Interfax quoted Mr. Podolyak as saying. “After that, the two presidents will meet.”
Russia on March 29 announced a change of strategy in Ukraine, withdrawing from Kiev and Chernihiv to focus on “liberating” the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials say heavy fighting is taking place in the east of the country, with heavy shelling reported across the Donbass region, including Donetsk and Lugansk.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Russia is likely to launch a large offensive to “take over the entire Donbass region” in order to create a land corridor connecting to the Crimean peninsula.
The flashpoints of fighting in eastern Ukraine. Graphics: NY Times. Click on the map for details.
After starting a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, the separatists say they and Russia now control 93% of the Lugansk region and 54% of Donetsk. Analysts estimate that Russia still has a long way to go to control the entire region, because this is where Ukraine’s most elite forces are concentrated and has a complex terrain.
Vu Hoang (According to Interfax)
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
