First deputy head of Zelenskyy's Office: Putin does not want talks because he believes Ukrainians will not survive winter
Serhii Kyslytsia, First Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, says Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not want talks now and will be even less willing to negotiate once the cold weather arrives because he believes Ukrainians will not be able to survive the coming winter.
Source: Kyslytsia in an interview with Ukrinform
Quote: "Putin has no desire whatsoever to sit down at the negotiating table now, and after winter begins and until it ends, that is, at least until mid-March, he will have even less motivation. Because he believes that Ukrainians are not strong enough as a nation to survive this winter."
Details: Meanwhile, Kyslytsia added that Ukraine is still seeking diplomatic ways to end the war.
Quote: "Diplomacy must work under any circumstances because our opponents and enemies are trying to impose the idea in different capitals around the world that it is the Ukrainians who do not want to end the war and are seeking escalation. They claim that the Russians are ready to do this or that, while the stubborn Ukrainians, instead of accepting their proposals, continue not only to defend themselves but also to carry out long-range strikes on Russian territory. Therefore, stopping diplomatic efforts would be wrong and dangerous."
Details: Kyslytsia reiterated that Ukraine continues to convey its position to its partners: "We are ready to sit down at the negotiating table, ready to listen to the American side, talk to the Russians and make our case for why this war must end."
The official also stressed the importance of a visit by US negotiators to Kyiv, which has already been postponed several times.
The journalist reminded Kyslytsia that in July he had said the window of opportunity in relations with the US was very short and asked whether Ukraine had made use of it.
Quote: "I believe that at least the past two and a half months have been very active because the president has had very productive discussions – both remotely and in person – with the president of the United States. There was a phone call on 14 June, then 4 July, followed by a very productive discussion – both bilateral and with the participation of President Macron – during the G7 summit in Évian. And there, in a closed-door format, Trump said some very important things – I simply cannot refer to them. Then there was a very important meeting in Ankara.
The atmosphere and level of mutual understanding between Ukraine and the US, at least as it formally appeared, were unprecedented in the period from June to August."
Background:
- On 14 August, Russia's Defence Ministry posted a photo of attack drones accompanied by a threat to "freeze" Ukraine this winter. The Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine's Armed Forces responded by promising to "keep warm by the fire of Russian oil refineries", while Ukraine's Defence Ministry responded by pointing out that when it gets cold, "birds" (i.e. drones) fly to "warmer climes".
- Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with CNN that Ukraine needs 5% of the US stock of Patriot interceptor missiles to survive the winter and 10% to destroy "all the Russians' ballistic missiles".
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