Ukraine’s chief negotiator in peace talks with Moscow, David Arakhamia, hopes to resume contacts with the Russian side in August, taking advantage of the possible end of a new phase of counterattacks against the Russian Army.
According to an interview given to Voice of America radio station, Arakhamia has advanced a series of Ukrainian operations against Russian Army positions on the frontline, without giving further details.
Negotiations are currently at a standstill. At the end of March, Kiev proposed a round of talks in Istanbul but the positions are far apart.
Ukraine wants to maintain its territorial integrity and the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the east of the country, something Moscow considers inadmissible. The Kremlin has also asked Ukraine to declare its neutral status and renounce any possible future pact with NATO, something that contravenes Kiev’s requests to receive security guarantees.
In this regard, Arakhamia has once again insisted that while Ukraine will not accept “the loss of territory because it is legally impossible,” he has shown himself open to a political agreement that would provide for the postponement of the debate on the status of Crimea — under Russian control — “for a certain number of years.”
In any case, this agreement “would not be reached by military means”, but by diplomatic and political means, and that would be a compromise”, he added.
