Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba announced a tentative program of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Turkey on March 29, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reports, citing Kuleba’s words on the air of the national telethon on Monday evening.
According to him, “the minimum program at the talks in Turkey is the solution of humanitarian problems. The maximum program is a ceasefire, the achievement of permanent agreements on this matter,” the press service quotes Kuleba.
He also noted that at the moment there is not a single agreement from the fundamental points of the negotiations, and that the Ukrainian side will not negotiate if the Russian side continues to set its old conditions.
“We are looking forward to the conversation between the two delegations to see if the Russians come to these talks with a willingness to really agree on something, or just repeat their demands that have been voiced from the very beginning. If we see that the mood has changed and they are ready for a serious substantive discussion and balanced agreements, then things will move forward. If it is again a repetition of their propaganda clichés behind closed doors, then they will disperse just as they came together,” Kuleba stressed.
He also said that the issue of holding a referendum in Ukraine would not be discussed at the talks: “We ourselves will decide which referendum to hold or not to hold, this is not a subject of negotiations.”
Kuleba stressed that the Ukrainian delegation is not going to make concessions in the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
“The President of Ukraine gave very clear instructions to our delegation. We do not trade in people, lands and sovereignty. Our position is reinforced concrete. It is backed up by international law, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, international sanctions applied against Russia, weapons that were and are being transferred to Ukraine for defense against aggressor,” the minister said.
