The decision on the composition of the Ukrainian team for further peace talks will be made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but in order to talk about these talks, it is first necessary to obtain Vladimir Putin’s position, said Deputy Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva.
“This decision will be made by the president [on the composition of the Ukrainian negotiating team]. There are some visions, but I have no right to voice them. But in order to talk about these negotiations, we first need to get the position of the Russian Federation – the position of one person,” Zhovkva said in an exclusive interview for Interfax-Ukraine.
He noted that there are now statements from some officials on the Russian side, but we need to wait for Vladimir Putin’s position, since “he is the only one who determines this position in this country.”
“And if Russia is ready, and now the ball is in the Russian court. Ukraine has clearly stated that it is ready for peace, and the ceasefire is only the first stage. And we are ready for this first stage. We have not set any demands. Let’s see how ready the Russian Federation really is for peace and a ceasefire,” the deputy head of the President’s Office emphasized.