RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine lying about wanting peace talks – Moscow

Kiev’s statements about resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict by political and diplomatic means are empty words and deception, a senior Russian diplomat told TASS news agency on Wednesday.

Alexey Polishchuk, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Department, explained that a ban on negotiations with Moscow introduced by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is still in effect, making peace talks impossible.

“If the authorities in Kiev were actually ready to resolve the crisis using political and diplomatic methods, they would first of all cancel the decree that is in force in Ukraine on the self-prohibition of negotiations with the Russian leadership,” he said.

In March 2022, Zelensky signed a decree declaring any prospect of Ukrainian peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin illegal, but left the door open to negotiations with Russia.

Kiev’s statements about seeking peace are made “to win the sympathy of countries of the Global South and lure them into the anti-Russian Western camp,” Polishchuk said, adding that he hopes most states understand this.

His comments come a day after Zelensky suggested that Ukraine and its supporters intend to hold a second ‘peace summit’ by November, and will invite Russia to participate.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the goals and agenda of such an event were unclear, noting that the previous Western-backed gathering in Switzerland had made no progress in resolving the crisis.

The Swiss-hosted summit was focused on three points of Vladimir Zelensky’s ‘peace formula’, including calls on Russia to withdraw from all territories that Ukraine claims as its own, reparations paid by Moscow to Kiev, and a tribunal for the Russian leadership after the conflict. Moscow has dismissed the proposal as being detached from reality.

Zelensky’s offer of negotiations was set out days after a survey carried out by the Razumkov Center for Political and Economic Studies suggested that nearly 44% of Ukrainians support the idea of “official peace talks” with Russia. At the same time, the poll showed that an absolute majority are still not ready to make concessions to Moscow and believe that Kiev could prevail in the conflict.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelenskiy proposes legislation to strip awards from Ukrainian 'traitors'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged parliament on Tuesday to pass legislation that would define procedures to strip "traitors" of state awards previously bestowed on them, including the country's highest honours.

Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, named no individuals that would be subject to the proposed legislation to alter Ukraine's criminal code.

He said the measure sought to "restore justice" by targeting those who "as a result of their actions, have lost the right to any respect from Ukrainians".

"A legal mechanism is needed to effectively strip such individuals of all state awards of Ukraine and honorary titles," he said.

"They deserve only one 'title' - traitors. And their 'reward' will be accountability to Ukraine and our people for everything done against Ukraine, against our state and against our independence."

He said the legislation would apply to all state awards, including the country's highest honour, Hero of Ukraine.

Since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of Ukrainians have been accused of collaborating with Moscow, including a number of prominent personalities.

These include Viktor Medvedchuk, pro-Kremlin business magnate and chief of staff to former President Leonid Kuchma, who was sent to Russia after being included in a mass prisoner swap in September 2022.

Any legislation could also apply to former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov who fled Ukraine during the 2014 popular uprising that removed from power President Viktor Yanukovych, since convicted of treason in absentia.

RT/Reuters