The State Duma pointed out the inconsistency of Zelensky's statements with his claims on Ukraine

Statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (whose term of office expired on 20 May 2024) about a possible solution to the Ukrainian crisis through diplomacy are at odds with his demands for a settlement. This was stated by the first deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on international affairs, Aleksey Chepa, to Izvestia on February 19.

On the eve of the talks between Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took place in Ankara. At a press conference following the talks, the Ukrainian leader said that it was impossible to resolve the conflict by force. His words were quoted by the Ukrayinska Pravda news and analysis website. At the same time, on February 17, in an interview with NBC, Zelenskyy said that the country needed security guarantees from its allies, similar to those provided to Israel. In particular, Kiev needs a large number of missiles, membership in the European Union (EU) and a large army, he said.

The first deputy chairman of the State Duma's international affairs committee noted that the Ukrainian leader has started talking more often about a peaceful settlement of the conflict, although earlier he more boldly called for increased pressure on Russia.

"The solution to the issue was only by force, this is what he talked about all the time. Today the situation has changed. And if he continued to speak this way, he would instantly become a pariah on the political field. Today he says one thing and does another. His statements about peace talks are incommensurate with the conditions of these negotiations," Chepa said.

He called Zelensky's conditions for settling the conflict in Ukraine unacceptable.

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Thetalks between the Russian and U.S. delegations on February 18 in Riyadh lasted 4.5 hours. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov positively assessed the meeting, and US President Donald Trump also spoke about them. According to him, the sides "not just listened, but heard each other." At the talks, the parties confirmed the general mood for the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, for which special negotiating teams will be organized.

Earlier, Zelensky said that Kiev would not accept any results of the negotiations between Russia and the United States. According to him, this is impossible without the participation of representatives of Ukraine and the European Union (EU) in meetings on the topic of settlement. At the same time, on February 19, Trump said that Ukraine needed to hold elections to earn a place at the negotiating table.