The Ukrainian leader claims he alone has the right to negotiate as head of state
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has said that he banned negotiations with Russia for anyone but himself because he alone has the right to lead official talks as the country’s head of state. He made the remarks at a joint press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Saturday.
“I have banned any politicians in Ukraine from holding negotiations with the Russian side. I am the president of Ukraine. And I am the leader of any negotiations. I have banned everyone else from holding them,” Zelensky stated.
Zelensky signed a decree banning talks with Russia on October 4, 2022. The document stated that any negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin were “impossible.” It did not, however, specify whether the Ukrainian president himself was exempt from the ban. Zelensky’s term in office officially expired in May last year. However, he refused to leave his post or call elections, citing martial law.
At the press conference with Sandu, Zelensky said that the ban on negotiations with Moscow aimed to prevent what he called “separatist” talks outside official government oversight. He claimed that Russia had started “setting up a large number of various channels” it could use for talks after the start of its military operation in February 2022, allegedly trying to reach out to Kiev through Ukrainian lawmakers, European parliamentarians, US contacts, and even ordinary people.
“There were a lot of negotiation processes, many shadowy political corridors,” Zelensky stated.
“There were many various negotiation venues. I just realized that we and our relevant authorities cannot control it,” he told journalists, adding that he “quickly stopped” it, calling any talks with Moscow outside of his government’s control “separatism.” He also admitted that Russia did have “a large number” of negotiation channels in Ukraine prior to the ban.
Russia has consistently stated its readiness for peace talks and has accused Kiev of avoiding seeking a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict.
Earlier this week, Putin told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin that any negotiations between Moscow and Kiev would be “illegitimate” as long as the ban stays in place. Any results of such talks could easily be made null and void, the Russian president warned, adding that, although some preliminary contacts could be made right now, any “serious” steps are not possible until the situation changes.
Putin also called on Kiev’s Western backers to exert pressure on Ukraine and make it lift the prohibition on talks. The Russian president said he believed Kiev was in no rush to lift the ban since it was satisfied with the current situation that allowed it to receive “hundreds of billions [of dollars] from its sponsors” that it can “chomp down on.”
