Isolation is no way to cooperate: Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry answers whether it plans to restore diplomatic relations with Russia
25 February 18:07
EXCLUSIVE
Against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s resonant statements and the US diplomatic maneuvers, Russia’s isolation from the civilized world is being called into question. Could the meeting in Riyadh be a harbinger of change, or is it just another diplomatic experiment that has no practical evidence? Whether the US President’s accusations against Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be taken seriously and whether the Ukrainian President’s willingness to talk to Putin means the restoration of diplomatic relations with Russia – all this is discussed in the article Komersant ukrainskyi.
When asked by the publication about the likelihood of restoring Ukraine’s diplomatic relations with Russia, the official response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was clear: the ministry is not ready to discuss this issue.
“Due to the ongoing aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the issue of restoring diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation and, accordingly, the work of Ukrainian diplomats on the territory of the aggressor state is not relevant today. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other state bodies of Ukraine continue to take all possible measures to repel the large-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and consolidate international support for our country,” said Ilya KVAS, Head of the Sixth Territorial Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Isolation is no way to cooperate
It is known that at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump refused to call Putin a dictator. When asked by a journalist whether he could call Putin a dictator, the US President replied:
“I don’t use those words lightly. We’ll see what happens.” – Donald Trump
Meanwhile, the media reported on a possible second meeting between representatives of Russia and the United States in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The German newspaper Die Zeit claims that on Tuesday, February 25, representatives of Russia and the United States had another scheduled meeting in Riyadh. The goal is to discuss the future of Ukraine. According to diplomatic sources, the talks are supposed to be a continuation of the meeting between the delegations of the two countries that took place last week with the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
However, the Russian side categorically denies this information. “RIA Novosti, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not avoid the controversial issue and openly declares his readiness to negotiate at a common table with the Russian leader. In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan on February 4, the head of state emphasized:
“If this is the only option in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and not lose people, then we will definitely go for this option of meeting.”
This statement raises numerous questions: can the president’s personal initiative become a catalyst for restoring diplomatic ties between Ukraine and Russia? Is Russia really preparing to come out of isolation by gradually restoring old ties?
We continue to follow the developments and will report on new details in this intricate game of forces and interests.
