The Kremlin claims that Ukraine has no right to negotiate with Russia because it lacks sovereignty. Also, any agreements reached with Ukraine in the future are invalid. This was reported by UNN with reference to an analytical report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Details
"The Kremlin officially reiterated its statement that Ukraine lacks sovereignty, setting the stage for Moscow to claim that Ukraine has no right to negotiate with Russia or that any agreements reached with Ukraine in the future are invalid," the ISW report says.
It is noted that on February 16, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has adjusted its approach to potential negotiations with Ukraine, as Ukraine allegedly has a "deficit" of sovereignty.
Peskov said that Ukraine's decision not to sign the peace agreement that Russia and Ukraine discussed in Istanbul in the spring of 2022 shows that Russia cannot trust Ukraine's word. Ukraine and Russia did not sign a peace agreement in Istanbul in 2022
In their report, the Institute's analysts write that Kremlin officials have repeatedly claimed that the West forced Ukraine to abandon the Istanbul Agreement and that Ukraine thus has no sovereignty.
Peskov also continued the Kremlin's long-standing attempts to place the blame for Russia's full-scale invasion on Ukraine, saying that Ukraine would be "intact," that the Ukrainian government would not have "abused" Russians in eastern Ukraine, that there would be no "civil war," and that Russians in eastern Ukraine "would have no desire...to separate from Ukraine" if Ukraine had implemented the Minsk agreements
"The Minsk agreements were particularly beneficial to Russia, imposing no obligations on Moscow, but Russian proxies have consistently violated the agreements with Russian support," ISW added.
Analysts noted that Kremlin-controlled state media used a February 15 interview with former Kremlin-linked Ukrainian MP Viktor Medvedchuk to repeat the Kremlin's false narrative that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is illegitimate.
Recall
On Tuesday, February 18, senior US and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible agreement to end the war. The Ukrainian side expresses concern that the talks will be held without its participation.