KYIV, June 4 ― Ukraine said on Saturday there was no point in negotiating with Russia until Moscow’s forces are pushed back as far as possible towards Ukraine’s borders.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak made the comment when asked about an offer from French President Emmanuel Macron to mediate talks between Kyiv and Moscow to end the war in Ukraine that passed the 100 day mark on Friday.
“...Until we receive weapons in their full amount, until we strengthen our positions, until we push them (Russia’s forces) back as far as possible to the borders of Ukraine, there is no point in holding negotiations,” Podolyak said on television.
Macron, who has sought to maintain dialogue with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin since Moscow’s February 24 invasion, said the West should not humiliate Russia, so that it can keep the doors open for a solution to be reached through diplomacy.
Ukraine, which says that Russia has already occupied about 20 per cent of its territory, is now receiving more powerful weapons from the West.
“Our armed forces are ready to use (the new weapons)...and then I think we can initiate a new round of talks from a strengthened position,” David Arakhamia, Ukrainian lawmaker and a member of the negotiation team, said on Friday.
Among other things, the United States will give Ukraine precision HIMARS rocket systems allowing it to hit Russian positions from a longer-range. ― Reuters
