Russia-Ukraine War: Both sides point at peace talks hitting deadlock as conflict escalates

Amid the ongoing brutal war in Eastern Europe, the officials of Russia and Ukraine stated that the peace negotiations between both countries have stalled. Ukraine has been accused of hardening its stance by the Russian government as the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko stated that Kyiv has effectively abandoned the peace talks. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov claimed that Western countries seek to exploit Ukraine for their strategic benefit. He contended that no peace accord can be reached if negotiators focus on the West's concerns rather than the current situation in Ukraine. 

"We always say that we are ready for negotiations ... but we were given no other choice," Lavrov said, DW news reported. However, Ukrainian officials have blamed Russia for the stagnation of the peace negotiations amid the ongoing war. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak stated that talks have been put on hold as "Russia refuses to admit that it would not achieve any objectives."  "Russia does not demonstrate a key understanding of today's processes in the world. And its extremely negative role," Podolyak was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian media. 

Resolution of Ukraine's situation would lead to de-escalation of military-political tensions: Lavrov

Notably, in late April, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Lavrov asserted that the delegations of both countries are debating the draft of a possible treaty via videoconferencing daily. In an interview with Xinhua, Lavrov hoped that the document should include Ukraine's permanent neutrality, non-nuclear, non-bloc, demilitarised status as well as security guarantees. The Russian minister had further outlined that the resolution of the Ukrainian situation will enable a significant contribution to the de-escalation of military-political tensions in Europe.

Zelenskyy extends offer to hold direct talks with Putin

It is pertinent to mention here that delegations of both countries have already held several rounds of peace negotiations since the outset of the war, but they have failed to yield desired results so far. Earlier on May 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that he is ready to hold peace talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks. In a statement, embattled President Zelenskyy once again extended the offer to hold direct talks with Putin to find a solution to the ongoing crisis. 

Image: AP