Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it does not trust Ukrainian negotiators

Olena Roshchina – Wednesday, 20 April 2022, 11:33

Maria Zakharova, Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said that Russia does not trust Ukrainian negotiators.

Source: RBK

According to Zakharova: "It’s no longer ‘trust but verify’ – it’s just ‘verify’, since we’ve had no trust for these people for a long time."

Background:

• Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, following 8 years of hybrid war. The Russian Federation is calling this war a "special military operation" and has been relying on made-up concerns and unfounded demands to justify it.
• On 28 February Ukrainian and Russian delegations began peace talks.
• President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey said that President Vladimir Putin of Russia told him about Russia’s 6 demands: Ukraine’s neutrality and non-accession to NATO; "demilitarisation" and mutual security guarantees; "denazification" of Ukraine; removal of "obstacles" to the broad use of the Russian language; recognition of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics; and the recognition of the occupied Crimea as "Russian."
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine later said that the Ukrainian delegation immediately told their Russian counterparts that "denazification" and "demilitarisation" are entirely off the table.
• On 29 March the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul publicly outlined its offer to the Russian Federation with regards to security guarantees, Crimea, and the Donbas region.
• Russia still has not given its response to Ukraine’s Istanbul offer. President Putin continues to refuse to meet with President Zelenskyy.
• Meanwhile, Russia continues its assault operations in Ukraine in an attempt to capture as much Ukrainian territory as possible. On the occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia is already preparing pseudo referendums on their "independence," handing out Russian passports, and announcing the "ruble zone."