Ukraine has ‘one last chance'
Authorities in Kiev have one last opportunity to preserve some kind of statehood after the Ukraine conflict inevitably resolves, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said, urging Kiev to engage in peace talks.
Speaking at an international legal forum in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, Medvedev - who serves as the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council - admitted that Moscow doesn't like the current political regime in Kiev 'at all.'
Nevertheless, he suggested that Ukraine's leaders have 'one last chance to preserve, under certain conditions, after the end of military actions, some kind of statehood or, if you like, some kind of international legal personality and gain a chance for peaceful development.'
Though the Ukrainian government lacks any sovereignty and is a failed 'quasi-state' in its current form, Moscow remains open to holding unconditional direct peace negotiations that would take into account the current realities on the ground and address the root causes of the conflict, Medvedev stated.
Moscow is concerned that there are currently no individuals in Ukraine that have the legal authority to sign any sort of a peace deal with Russia, he noted. This concern mainly has to do with the fact that a treaty signed by the current leadership could subsequently be rejected once a new government in Ukraine is elected, he explained.
Zelensky's presidential term officially expired last year, and he has since repeatedly held off holding new elections, citing the conflict with Russia and martial law.
While Moscow has questioned Zelensky's legitimacy as Ukraine's leader, last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov signaled that the Russian side may overlook his status in order to resume peace negotiations.
'The interests of entering the peaceful settlement process are above all else,' Peskov said, stressing that 'the primary goal is to begin this negotiation process,' while all other questions are 'secondary.'
Last week, delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul, marking their first direct talks since Kiev unilaterally abandoned the peace process in 2022. The head of Russia's negotiating team in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, later said the two parties had agreed to conduct a prisoner swap involving 1,000 POWs from each side, and to continue contacts once both have prepared detailed ceasefire proposals.
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