MINSK, 14 October (BelTA) – European colleagues ordered Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to withdraw from the negotiations with Russia, Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei told the Izvestia newspaper, BelTA informs.
Vladimir Makei noted that any confrontation ends at the negotiating table. According to him, this is a diplomatic axiom.
“These events in Ukraine will end the same way. The president instructed me to arrange these three rounds of the Ukraine-Russia negotiations that took place on Belarusian soil. And believe me, each round brought more and more hope for success. And after the third round the both delegations said: “We are coming in a few days to sign final documents.” God only knows what happened later, but in New York I was told by colleagues from some European countries that the leadership of Ukraine received a clear command not to continue the negotiations with the leadership of Russia no matter where they would be held, be it on the territory of Belarus or Türkiye; the negotiations with Russia should be discontinued altogether. Some European colleagues in great secrecy ordered Mr. Zelensky to do this,” the foreign minister said.
The diplomat did not name these countries. “I can only say that every time, after each round, when the government delegation told us that there was clear progress and they would move on, after returning home, a day later, they already began to walk back on these arrangements. Some additional problems and difficulties would arise. I think, not without tips from an outside adviser. And as a result, negotiations had to be started from some initial positions if not from scratch. I strongly believe that the lack of independence of the Ukrainian leadership is one of the reasons for the continuing conflict in Ukraine,” Vladimir Makei said.
