Russia does not want to negotiate: ISW analyzes Kremlin's statements

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tried to present Ukraine as unwilling to negotiate, while demonstrating Russia's own unwillingness to participate in the talks by activating the narrative that calls Volodymyr Zelenskyy an “illegitimate” president.

According to Ukrinform, this is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Thus, analysts remind, Peskov said on July 25 that Russia is “open to achieving its goals through negotiations,” but, according to him, there are obstacles to negotiations. In particular, he falsely claimed that Zelenskyy was an illegitimate president and that Ukraine had imposed “a de facto legal ban on any contacts and negotiations with the Russian side.” Peskov said that Russia needs to understand “how ready Ukraine, the government, the Ukrainian side is” and how much Ukraine “has permission for (negotiations - ed.) from its curators” and that Ukraine has “very different statements” on these issues.

“Ukraine has clearly presented its plan to achieve a lasting peace based on international law in preparation for possible negotiations with Russia, and Ukrainian officials have openly invited a Russian representative to participate in Ukraine's second peace summit later in 2024. On the other hand, the Kremlin has repeatedly falsely claimed that it is open to negotiations, while indicating that it is only interested in a settlement that would lead to Ukraine's complete surrender,” the report says.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 26/07/2024