Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya, in an interview with “Russia 24,” dismissed recent signals from the U.S. administration regarding the resolution of the war in Ukraine.
He criticized the proposals as vague and emphasized that Russia often hears mentions of a “freezing of the conflict” rather than concrete steps toward resolution. Nebenzya reiterated that Putin had outlined Russia’s conditions for ending the conflict during a speech on December 19. He said this in an interview with the Kremlin propagandists, The Moscow Times reports.
Nebenzya blamed Ukraine for delaying negotiations, warning that Kyiv’s position would weaken over time. He remarked, “When Zelenskyy finally decides to negotiate, it will depend on the combat line at that time. The longer it takes, the worse the conditions for him.”
“These are some unformed, unclear signals of readiness for something. We often hear the word ‘freeze the conflict.’ President [Vladimir] Putin last said clearly and precisely on December 19 under what conditions we are ready to talk about ending this conflict rather than freezing it… But so far, nothing that comes in the signals of the new US administration indicates that this is something that we would be interested in,” the Russian diplomat said.
According to Nebenzya, recently there have also been “signals of some kind of agreement” from the Ukrainian side, but they cannot be taken seriously.
“The question is, when [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy finally decides to sit down at the negotiating table, on which line of contact will it take place? The further he goes, the worse the conditions will be for him; he has been told about this a long time ago. The question is up to him,” said the Russian Permanent Representative to the UN.
Nebenzya did not miss the opportunity to emphasize that the longer Volodymyr Zelenskyy “drags on” with the negotiations, the “worse the conditions will be for him.”
According to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Putin will look for any clues and put forward unrealistic conditions to make it impossible to start negotiations with Ukraine.
On December 13, 2024, US President-elect Donald Trump said that he was “categorically opposed” to long-range strikes on Russian territory and called it an escalation of the war.
In turn, White House Communications Advisor John Kirby said that the United States is seeking to help Ukraine create better conditions for possible negotiations. “So that if and when it comes to negotiations, President Zelenskyy is in the best possible position to have the most leverage and to have the most success on the battlefield,” Kirby said.
