Ukrainian deputy PM reveals Moscow asked to resume negotiations but Kyiv refused

Russian official who attempted to remove Putin from office faces conscription without military experience

Image of Vladimir Putin. Credit: Harold Escalona/shutterstock.com

Officials in Moscow allegedly asked to resume negotiations but Kyiv turned them down, according to the Ukrainian deputy PM.

In an interview with France 24 English, Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration claimed that officials in Moscow had asked to resume negotiations with Kyiv, but that the latter refused.

This comes after an incredibly successful counteroffensive over the past weekend by Ukrainian forces. Stefanishyna claimed that this sudden advance of Ukrainian forces towards the Russian border had prompted the offer.

A lightning attack across a huge swathe of the Russian lines saw their troops giving up in several regions without a fight, while in others, they retreated, leaving all of their military hardware behind.

However, as the deputy PM pointed to Marc Perelman from France 24 English, Ukraine suddenly has more leverage, and Kyiv will only start negotiations after it has achieved its military goals. She said it was pretty clear that Moscow was only offering to enter into talks again as a way of slowing the Ukrainian push.

She did admit though that Ukraine was bracing itself, “for the worst-case scenario”, in terms of Russian retaliation. Her military had not yet been taken by surprise though she added.

Stefanishyna said she was convinced that the temporarily occupied Donbas and the annexed Crimea will return to the control of Ukraine. European leaders should also introduce additional sanctions against Moscow the minister said, suggesting that Russia has a weakness when it comes to the supply of gas and energy in general to Europe and that these sectors should be targeted.

Watch the full interview with Olga Stefanishyna here, courtesy of the FRANCE 24 English Twitter profile:

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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