Kremlin reacts to Ukrainian president's remarks on talks with Russia

This week, President Zelensky suggested in an interview with CBS News that a return to the 1991 borders was no longer a prerequisite for talks with Russia. But he still insisted that Kiev must regain territory lost to Moscow by 2022. That year, four former Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye — voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in a public referendum.

After the 2022 referendum, Zelensky banned all negotiations with the current Russian leadership, instead focusing on a formula to end the conflict, calling for Moscow to completely withdraw its forces from all the aforementioned territories. Although Russia has maintained its willingness to negotiate with Kiev, Moscow has dismissed the idea as “far from reality.”

Commenting on President Zelensky's remarks, Peskov told RIA Novosti on March 30 that “the geopolitical reality has changed significantly since the start of the special military operation. The borders of both Ukraine and the Russian Federation have changed.” He further noted that Russia has annexed four former Ukrainian regions, stressing that this fact “cannot be ignored.”

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Zelensky's change in stance was due to his "anxiety." "Is there an election coming? Or no election?" Ms. Zakharova asked.

Ukraine's president has previously said he has no plans to greenlight a vote under martial law, which has drawn criticism both at home and abroad.

Zelensky's comments followed statements by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, who said Kiev could engage with Moscow at some point after a summit in Switzerland later this year, which is expected to revolve around Zelensky's peace formula. Russia has said it has no plans to attend the event, even if formally invited./.