(Kyiv) Ukraine’s chief negotiator in the peace talks with Russia, David Arakhamia, said on Saturday that Moscow had “orally” accepted the main Ukrainian proposals, adding that Kyiv was now awaiting written confirmation.
Posted at 3:35 p.m.
Updated at 4:23 p.m.
Speaking on a TV broadcast, he hinted that talks aimed at ending hostilities had made significant progress.
“The Russian Federation has given an official response to all (Ukrainian) positions, namely that it accepts them, except with regard to the issue of Crimea”, annexed by Moscow in 2014, assured Mr. Arakhamia.
PHOTO MEHMET CALISKAN, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Ukraine’s chief negotiator in peace talks with Russia David Arakhamia
He added that while there was “no official confirmation in writing”, the Russian side accepted it “orally”.
The negotiator also said that if a meeting between Ukrainian Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin were to eventually take place, it would “most likely” take place in Turkey.
Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who hosted the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in his country this week, “called us and Vladimir Putin” on Friday, saying he would host such a meeting, he said. revealed.
“We don’t know the date or the place, but we think the place will most likely be Ankara or Istanbul,” Arakhamia noted.
Since the February 24 start of the invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly called for one-on-one talks with Mr. Putin.
The Ukrainian negotiator stressed that Moscow had agreed during the talks that a referendum on Ukraine’s neutrality would be “the only way out of this situation”.
If the Ukrainians do not agree to such a status, “we will either return to a state of war, perhaps, or to new negotiations”.
The Kremlin has insisted that Ukraine should give up joining NATO and opt for neutrality.