President Zelensky allows negotiations with Russia without taking into account the 1991 borders
(Baonghean.vn) - RIA Novosti news agency reported on March 30 that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said for the first time that peace talks between Moscow and Kiev could begin, even if Ukraine does not return to the 1991 borders.
In an interview with CBS News, President Zelensky said that now the Ukrainian border will be as of 2022.
According to Mr. Zelensky, Russia will be "ready for dialogue" if Ukraine recognizes the 2022 border.
"We will not need to liberate our entire territory by military means. I am sure that when President Putin has what the Russian army has controlled, starting in 2022, he will be ready for dialogue," President Zelensky said.
Previously, Ukraine had always stated that the start of peace negotiations was impossible until Russian troops left Ukrainian territory within the 1991 borders. President Zelensky rejected any notion of negotiating with Russia on any basis other than the peace plan he proposed.
On March 29, in an interview with the Izvestia daily, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov affirmed that Ukraine's request for Russia to withdraw its troops from areas it has gained control over is "unacceptable".
Foreign Minister Lavrov also once again stated that, in any case, Russia is ready to hold discussions, but not on the basis of the "peace formula" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr. Lavrov also rejected provisions in the plan that called for Russia to withdraw from territory it controlled, including the Crimean peninsula, and restore Ukraine's 1991 post-Soviet borders./.
