On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Moscow, saying that “the time has come” to discuss “peace and security”, otherwise the consequences for Russia will remain for generations.
“Negotiations on peace and security for Ukraine are the only chance for Russia to minimize the damage caused by its mistakes,” Zelensky said in a video posted on Facebook and filmed on a deserted street at night.
“It is time to meet. It is time for discussion. It is time to restore territorial integrity and justice to Ukraine,” he added, warning that otherwise it would take several generations before Russia might recover.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24, several rounds of negotiations have taken place between Kyiv and Moscow. And the fourth round opened Monday remotely at the delegation level.
The head of the Russian delegation announced on Friday evening that he had noticed a “convergence” of positions on the issue of Ukraine’s neutrality, also speaking of progress on demilitarizing the country.
“The question of Ukraine’s neutrality and non-membership status in NATO is one of the main points of the negotiations, and this is the point at which the parties brought their positions as close as possible,” Russian news agencies quoted Vladimir Medinsky as saying.
However, he noted that there are “differences” regarding the “security guarantees” demanded by Ukraine.
“The statements of the Russian side are only the beginning of their demands,” said a member of the Ukrainian delegation, presidential advisor Mikhailo Podolyak, on Twitter.
“Our position has not changed: a ceasefire, withdrawal of (Russian) forces, strong security guarantees with concrete formulas,” he wrote.
On Wednesday, Ukraine confirmed the existence of “deep contradictions” in the Russian-Ukrainian talks, but considered that a “compromise” was still possible.
The Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities continued during these negotiations, targeting many civilian infrastructure.
Regarding the besieged city of Mariupol, where a theater sheltered by more than 1,000 people was bombed by Russian forces on Wednesday, Zelensky said that more than 130 people had been pulled out of the rubble.
He pointed out that “some people unfortunately suffer serious injuries. But at this stage we do not have information on the number of possible deaths,” explaining that “rescue operations are continuing.”
He said that thanks to the humanitarian corridors set up in the country, more than 180,000 Ukrainians managed to escape the fighting, including more than 9 thousand people from Mariupol.
“But the occupiers continue to prevent humanitarian aid, especially in the vicinity of sensitive areas. It is a well-known tactic (…) It is a war crime,” Zelensky added.
Since February 24, more than 3.2 million Ukrainians have left the country, nearly two-thirds of whom have gone to Poland.
UNHCR spokesman Matthew Soltmarsh said humanitarian needs in Ukraine were “increasingly urgent”, with more than 200,000 people without water in the Donetsk region alone, speaking of “serious shortages” of food, water and medicine in cities such as Mariupol and Sumy.
