Sanctions relief for Moscow

Kyiv: The lifting of sanctions placed on Russia is part of peace talks between Moscow and Ukraine, which are “tough” but ongoing on a daily basis, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in statements published early Saturday.

On Friday, Kyiv warned that discussions to terminate Russia’s invasion, which is now in its third month, are at risk of collapsing.

“At present, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are actually discussing on a daily basis via video-conferencing a draft of a possible treaty,” 

Lavrov said in comments to China’s official Xinhua news agency, which were published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.

Since the invasion began on February 24, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has stressed that Western sanctions on Russia must be reinforced and cannot be part of any negotiations.

Since March 29, Ukraine and Russia have not undertaken face-to-face peace negotiations, and the climate has deteriorated as a result of Ukrainian charges that Russian forces committed crimes as they retreated from regions near Kyiv. The accusations have been refuted by Moscow.

Moscow refers to its efforts in Ukraine as a “special operation” aimed at demilitarising and “denazifying” the country.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of launching an unjustified aggressive campaign.

“The talks’ agenda also includes, among others, the issues of denazificiation, the recognition of new geopolitical realities, the lifting of sanctions, the status of the Russian language, “Lavrov stated, without going into detail.

“We are in favour of continuing the negotiations, although they are difficult,” Lavrov added.

Also Read

Russia published video of British man captured in Ukraine

Russia's defence ministry on Friday published a video of an injured British...