Ukraine's Preconditions For Starting Talks With Russia Unacceptable - Russian Diplomat

Preconditions put forward by Kiev to start negotiations with Moscow are unacceptable, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2022) Preconditions put forward by Kiev to start negotiations with Moscow are unacceptable, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Thursday.

"To enter into negotiations with counterproductive preconditions in front of you means that people do not want negotiations and do not want results. This is exactly what we now see in the position of Kiev. They do not want negotiations, that is why they put forward preconditions," Ryabkov told the RTVI broadcaster, calling these preconditions unacceptable.

Ivan Nechaev, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's information and press department, said the list of demands voiced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video call with G20 leaders was nothing but a "wish list" that emphasized his intention to let the conflict run its course.

"The Ukrainian leadership has demonstrated its purely belligerent mindset. There has been no talk of a ceasefire or a truce. Kiev is hell-bent on escalating the conflict and its rhetoric is becoming more and more aggressive," he told a briefing.

Zelenskyy suggested on Wednesday that any negotiations between Ukraine and Russia be held publicly. He had previously insisted that he would not sit down with Russians as long as President Vladimir Putin remained in office.