The Kremlin rejected on Monday “the ultimatum” launched by kyiv and its European allies calling it for a thirty -day truce in Ukraine before peace discussions. “The language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia, it is not suitable. We cannot speak to Russia in this way, “tackled the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov, during his daily briefing.
Mr. Peskov then assured that Moscow wanted “serious” negotiations to achieve long -term peace, but did not react to Mr. Zelensky’s offer of a meeting with Mr. Putin.
kyiv and its European allies claimed during the weekend a “complete and unconditional” ceasefire of thirty days from Monday. It would be a prerequisite according to them for direct peace discussions between Russians and Ukrainians in Türkiye, as President Vladimir Putin proposed.
“There must be a cease-fire,” said the EU diplomacy head, Kaja Kallas, accusing Russia of “playing a game”.
Russian attacks continue
At the same time, the Nuclean Russian attacks against Ukraine using drones have continued, as almost every day since the start of the invasion in February 2022.
On Monday morning, a Russian drone left one dead and three injured by hitting a car belonging to an essential company in the Soumy region (northeast), according to Ukrainian authorities.
In the part of the Kherson region (South) occupied by Moscow, strikes of Ukrainian drones killed four civilians in the village of Tchelbourda, Vladimir Saldo, the local official appointed by Russia, who still occupies nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory on Monday.
On the diplomatic front, things have accelerated in recent days, while separate discussions, initiated by US President Donald Trump, seemed dead end.
“Massive sanctions” in the event of refusal
kyiv and his European allies, in concert with Washington, claimed Russia on Saturday from thirty days, threatening with “massive sanctions” in the event of refusal.
The Russian president ignored the ultimatum, in turn proposing “direct” and “without prerequisite” negotiations between Moscow and kyiv, from Thursday in Istanbul (Türkiye).
These would be the first discussions between Russians and Ukrainians for the first weeks of the Russian invasion of February 2022.
Volodymyr Zelensky replied by inviting Vladimir Putin to see himself “in person” Thursday in Istanbul. Without getting a response from the Kremlin at this stage.
For the Ukrainian political scientist Volodymyr Fessenko, this invitation is a “tactical” maneuver to try to put Mr. Putin in difficulty in the negotiation process.
“Seeing a loser in Trump’s eyes ”
“If Putin refuses (this invitation), that means that he does not want to negotiate, and could seem like a loser In the eyes of Trump, “said this expert, who considers the American leader as” the main guideline “behind these negotiations.
Vladimir Putin seems to have a different reading, knowing his army in a favorable position on the front. On Monday, the Russian army claimed to take a new village in the Donetsk (East) region.
On Saturday, Mr. Putin had “not excluded” that the idea of a ceasefire was discussed during these talks, who, according to him,, focus on “the deep causes of the conflict”.
More broadly, the Russian president requests a general overhaul of security architecture in Europe, considering the rapprochement of NATO at Russian borders as an existential threat.
A meeting Thursday in Turkey “will at least determine if an agreement is possible, and if it is not, European leaders and the United States will know what to expect and will be able to act accordingly,” Donald Trump said on Sunday.
