Zelensky’s peace proposal to reach a peace agreement is nothing more than a step towards the continuation of hostilities. This was stated by the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskovruling out the possibility of a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine by the end of the year.
“These three steps go in the direction of continuation of hostilities,” said Peskov speaking of the three-step plan formulated by Volodymyr Zelensky. A military withdrawal from Ukraine is “not conceivable”, Peskov added, arguing that “Ukraine must accept the realities that have emerged in this period”. “There are realities that have materialized due to the policy pursued during the last 15 or 20 years by the top Ukrainian leadership and the current regime,” the spokesman added, quoted by Interfax.
“These realities indicate that Russia has new members that appeared as a result of referendums in those territories. Without taking these realities into account it is impossible to make progress,” he said, referring to Moscow’s decision to annex the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Zelensky had described his proposal by explaining that one of the steps involved getting more weapons into the countryanother aimed at guaranteeing financial and social stability to the country in 2023, the third looked at a new “diplomacy” that leads to a process of negotiations to “stop Russian aggression”.
“Ukraine has always led the negotiation process and has done everything possible to stop Russian aggression. Now we feel that the opportunity to use diplomacy to achieve the liberation of all our peoples and all our territories is closest,” he said, according to a statement.
For this reason, the president proposed holding a “special summit” to “determine how and when the points of the Ukrainian peace formula can be applied” and asked the G7 leaders to “show leadership in applying the peace formula.
“If Russia conducts a withdrawal of its forces from Ukraine, then it will ensure a reliable cessation of hostilities. I see no reason why Russia couldn’t do it now, in time for ChristmasZelensky said speaking yesterday at the G7 via video link, according to the Guardian.
“For the war to be short, we need more help,” he also said in an interview with David Letterman for a special on Netflix.
“I cannot say for sure when the war will end – he said – We fight for the whole world. The most important thing is that the United States and the international community do not waver in their support for Ukraine … The United States is a leader in support provided. Without them it would be very hard for us. The question of how long the war will last depends entirely on this support. For (the war) to be shorter, more help is needed.”
