Ukraine said on Saturday that there was no point in negotiating with Russia until Moscow’s forces were pushed as far as possible away from its borders.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak made the remark when asked about French President Emmanuel Macron’s offer to mediate talks between kyiev and Moscow to end the country’s 100-day war.
‘…There is no point in holding negotiations until we receive weapons in their entirety, until we strengthen our positions, until we push them (Russian forces) back as far as possible to Ukraine’s borders,’ Podolyak said on television.
Macron, who has sought to maintain dialogue with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin since Moscow’s February 24 invasion, said the West should not humiliate Russia in order to keep the door open for a diplomatic solution.
Ukraine, which claims Russia has occupied roughly 20% of its territory, is now receiving more powerful weapons from the West.
‘Our armed forces are ready to use (the new weapons), and then I believe we can launch a new round of talks from a stronger position,’ David Arakhamia, a Ukrainian lawmaker and member of the negotiating team, said on Friday.
Among other things, the US will provide Ukraine with precision HIMARS rocket systems, allowing it to hit Russian positions from a greater distance.
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