Ukrainian President’s Office responds to Russia's desire for negotiations, outlines condition

Negotiations with Russia can resume only when the Russian army leaves the entire territory of Ukraine, including Crimea.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said this in an interview with La Repubblica, according to the president's press service.

"Russia does not want to negotiate – it only launches ultimatums. If the Russian army leaves the entire territory of Ukraine, including Crimea, the negotiations could resume," Podolyak said.

He stressed that pseudo-referendums, held by Russia in the temporary occupied territories of Ukraine, have no legal force under international law. Thus, Russia's announcement of the annexation of the occupied Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions do not change anything for Ukraine.

Podolyak also commented on Russia's threats to use nuclear weapons.

"The chances of a nuclear conflict are not high, but they do exist. And if the world, I mean the civilian part of the world, allows the complete collapse of international nuclear security, we will have catastrophic consequences not only for Ukraine,” the adviser to the head of the President’s Office said.

According to him, the global response to a possible nuclear attack will have to be taken within the framework of the EU and NATO.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready for a dialogue with the Russian Federation, but with another Russian president, because the current one "does not know what dignity and honesty are."

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