KYIV: On Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine both emphasised a newfound willingness to compromise, as peace negotiations were scheduled to restart three weeks after a Russian assault failed to remove the Ukrainian government.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said the negotiations were becoming “more reasonable,” while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was “some prospect for compromise” now that Ukraine’s neutral status, a key Russian demand, was on the table.
As per the Kremlin, the sides are negotiating a position for Ukraine similar to that of Austria or Sweden, European Union members that are not part of NATO’s armed alliance.
Russian forces have been halted at the gates of Kyiv three weeks into the invasion, having suffered huge losses and failure to grab any of Ukraine’s major cities in a battle that Western diplomats believe Moscow expected to win in days.
Ukrainian authorities voiced confidence this week that the war may be over sooner than predicted, possibly in a matter of weeks.
Talks were set to continue by video connection on Wednesday for the third day in a row, marking the first time they have lasted more than a single day, implying that they had reached a more serious phase, according to both parties.
“The discussions are still going on, and from what I’ve heard, the positions taken during the negotiations are already sounding more conceivable. However, more time is required for choices to be made in Ukraine’s best interests,” Zelenskiy gave a video message.
On Tuesday, Zelensky hinted at a path to a deal, implying that Ukraine might be prepared to accept foreign security assurances that fell short of its long-held goal of full membership in NATO.
In the months before Moscow started what it terms a “special operation” to disarm and “denazify” Ukraine, keeping Ukraine out of NATO was one of Russia’s primary goals.
“For obvious reasons, the discussions are difficult,” Lavrov told media. “However, there is some prospect of reaching an agreement.”
“Neutral status is now being seriously examined,” Lavrov added, “along with, of course, security guarantees.”
According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, a demilitarised Ukraine with its own army, similar to Austria or Sweden, is being considered as a solution. They are the most populous of the six EU nations that are not members of NATO.
“This is an option that is presently being debated and may be considered a compromise,” Peskov said, according to the Russian news agency RIA.
Prior to the beginning of negotiations on Wednesday, Mykhailo Podlolyak, the chairman of Ukraine’s negotiating delegation, claimed that Ukrainian military counteroffensives had “radically changed the parties’ attitudes.”
Three million people have been displaced
The largest battle in Europe since World War II has obliterated several Ukrainian cities and forced over 3 million people to migrate to other countries.
The streets of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, were almost deserted on Wednesday after officials enforced a nighttime curfew. Residents and rescue personnel reported many buildings in a residential neighbourhood were heavily damaged after what seemed to be a Russian missile was shot down in the early hours of Wednesday.
Despite this, Ukrainian soldiers have resisted a far stronger army’s attack.
In the most recent battle, Zelensky reported Ukrainian soldiers had killed a fourth Russian major general. Reuters was unable to confirm his claim right away.
“Despite sending thousands of people into a fight in the north, east, and south of our state, the invaders were unsuccessful today. Hundreds of enemy soldiers and equipment were lost. A large number of Russian conscripts were killed, as were scores of officers.”
Approximately 20,000 individuals could flee the port of Mariupol in private automobiles, according to Ukraine, but hundreds of thousands remain stranded, many without warmth, power, or running water.
After an overnight train voyage out of Kyiv, the Prime Ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia were scheduled to return home on Wednesday. They visited Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Tuesday for the first time since the war began, a sign of the Ukrainian administration’s success in fending off the Russian attack.
Russia has been economically isolated because of the conflict, and it fully revealed the cost on Wednesday when the country’s sanction-ravaged government faltered on the verge of its first international debt default since the Bolshevik revolution.
Works at The Truth International Magazine. My area of interest includes international relations, peace & conflict studies, qualitative & quantitative research in social sciences, and world politics. Reach@ [email protected]
