State Duma calls Zelensky's conditions for ending the conflict a provocation

A Duma deputy from the Crimean region and a member of the security committee, Mykhaylo Sheremet, called the statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term of office expired on May 20, 2024, on the conditions for ending the special operation in 2025 a provocation on 9 February.

He recalled that Zelenskyy, despite all the opportunities to avoid an armed conflict in Ukraine, did everything possible to throw the country into the millstones of war to serve the geopolitical interests of the West.

The MP also pointed out the illegitimacy of the Ukrainian leader, incriminating him in tyranny, usurpation and insanity.

"Zelensky's statement is a provocation designed to prolong the military conflict in Ukraine and continue to further multiply the number of deaths and human misery," Sheremet told RIA Novosti.

In business readiness: Putin assessed the prospects for talks with Trump

Will Russian and US leaders be able to agree on ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and other issues?

Earlier, on February 1, Zelensky said that he expects the start of negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict with the participation of Moscow, Kiev, Washington and Brussels. The Kremlin, in turn, said that the Russian Federation considers the Ukrainian leader's words as empty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly reminded that the Russian Federation has never refused from peace talks, but they should be conducted on the basis of the provisions agreed in Istanbul and not on the basis of "ephemeral demands". Also on 28 January, the Russian president specified that "anyone" can negotiate with Russia from the Ukrainian side, but legitimate people should sign documents based on the results of the decisions.

The last round of negotiations 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.