Ukraine is not budging in negotiations, but "everything is going according to plan" - Peskov

MONDAY, 18 APRIL 2022, 1:34 p.m.

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Ukrainian side "does not demonstrate consistency" in terms of the points agreed in the talks with Russia and allegedly "changes its position".

Source: Dmitry Peskov, quoted by RIA Novosti

Details: The Kremlin believes that the dynamics of the negotiations process "leave much to be desired". In this way, Putin’s office has acknowledged that Ukraine is not making concessions and is not doing what Putin wants.

At the same time, despite the heavy losses inflicted on the Russian army and the failed blitzkrieg, Putin continues to claim that everything is going according to his plans.

Peskov quote: "The special military operation continues. Very recently while at the space launch centre, the president said that it [the war - UP] is going according to plan."

Background:

·         Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should withdraw troops from the east of his country, Ukraine, and agree to its "denazification" and "demilitarization", along with giving up its ambition to join NATO and renouncing Crimea [Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014].

·         Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February after eight years of hybrid war in Ukraine’s east. Russia calls the war a "special military operation" and uses a number of fictitious pretexts and baseless demands to justify it. Peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations began on 28 February.