Russia “is realizing the real cost of the war” in the face of Ukrainian resistance, with which the negotiations between the delegations of the two countries are beginning to be “constructive,” a Ukrainian negotiator said on Saturday.
Interviewed in Lviv (Ukraine) by the Canadian newspaper The Globe and MailMykhailo Podolyak, presented as a close associate of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, He said that he began to perceive a turning point in the Russian attitude in the face of Ukrainian resistance and international sanctions.
“At the beginning of the war, the Russians insisted on total domination. They did not expect such strong resistance from Ukraine », he declared.
“Constructive Negotiations
Only now “are they realizing the real cost of war. And we started to have constructive negotiations,” added Podolyak, who participated in the first two sessions of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on the Belarusian border.
A third session of talks is due to take place on Monday, according to the Ukrainian delegation.
The Russians ‘lost very significant amounts of equipment and personnel. Sanctions like never before destroy their economy. The country has become a pariah on the international scene and its propaganda does not work”, he pointed out.
Podolyak also reiterated the request to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, rejected by NATO. This provoked a strong reaction from Zelensky, who reproaches the Atlantic Alliance for giving “the green light for the bombing to continue.”
While emphasizing that the two parties agreed not to discuss the details of the negotiations, the official indicated that the Ukrainian objectives continued to point to a immediate ceasefiresecurity guarantees that Ukraine would not be attacked once more, and “significant” compensation for the loss of human life and damage to Ukrainian cities.
