Zelensky tried to justify the ban on talks with Russia by circumstances

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term of office expired on 20 May 2024) tried to justify the ban on talks with Russia by citing certain circumstances during a press conference with Moldovan leader Maia Sandu in Kiev on 25 January.

He explained who is covered by this ban in the context of conflict resolution, but made a number of factual errors.

Thus, Zelensky noted that he issued the document at a time when Russian troops "stood near Kiev".

"I prohibited any political figures in Ukraine to hold negotiations with the Russian side. I am the president of Ukraine. And I am the leader of any negotiations. To everyone else, I have forbidden them to conduct them," Strana.ua quoted him as saying.

However, the publication notes that the decree was signed on September 30, 2022, when Russian troops have already left Kiev.

In addition, the first paragraph of the document says: "To establish the impossibility of holding negotiations with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin". This means that everyone, including Zelensky himself, is forbidden to engage in dialog.

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On January 24, Putin said that perhaps Kiev's sponsors would force Zelensky to reverse the decision to ban talks with Russian Federation. He added that the Ukrainian leader was in no hurry to fulfill the instructions of his sponsors. However, in his opinion, they will eventually force Zelensky to cancel this adopted decree.

On January 23, Zelensky admitted the possibility of negotiations with Putin if American leader Donald Trump gives Kiev security guarantees. According to Zelensky, the only question for him is what kind of guarantees we are talking about, and he wants to have that understanding before the talks.

The day before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reminded that in order to resolve the crisis, it is necessary to address its root causes and secure guarantees.

The last round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on March 29, 2022 in Istanbul. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4, 2022, the Ukrainian president put into effect the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.