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How long the war will last? A lowdown on Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Ukraine maintains its core position that it retains sovereignty over areas occupied since 2014 by Russian and pro-Russian forces.
Peace talks with Russia may last at least "several weeks", even though there were signs that Moscow’s position has become more "adequate", Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, told Bloomberg in an interview in the latest developments amid the war. In an appeal urging no more delay, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier in the day - in a video adress - called for "comprehensive peace talks" with Moscow, saying that Kyiv had always offered solutions for peace and wanted "meaningful and honest negotiations on peace and security". "The time has come for a meeting... it is time to talk," he was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
Ukraine’s stand on peace talks
“Key questions during the negotiations include security guarantees, a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops, and the political resolution of disputed territories,” Podolyak, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating group, said on Friday. The presidential adviser also ruled out the question of giving up any Ukrainian land. “This process may drag longer given the number of mutually exclusive positions.There are some concessions that we definitely aren’t going to make. We cannot give away any territories,” Podolyak told Bloomberg.
A few days before Moscow's offensive was launched last month, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a decree to officially recognise the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine - Donetsk and Luhansk. However, Ukraine maintains its core position that it retains sovereignty over areas occupied since 2014 by Russian and pro-Russian forces.
Russia’s stand on peace talks
Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson of the Russian president, said on Friday that they are ready to work "around the clock" for negotiations and peace talks but the Ukrainian side has failed to "show such zeel". "Our delegation is putting in colossal effort. Our delegation is ready to work around the clock - but unfortunately we don't see such zeal from the Ukrainian side," he was quoted as saying by Reuters. Moscow has previously said it was close to agreeing a formula that would keep Ukraine neutral, one of its demands.
A fourth straight day of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators took place by videolink on Friday, but both sides said that an agreement is yet to be reached. Putin has shown little sign of relenting, even though punitive Western sanctions are damaging his country's economy.
Russia-Ukraine 5 rounds of talks so far
Round 1: Russian and Ukrainian officials held their first ceasefire talks on day five of the war near the Ukraine-Belarus border. Russia continued to target residential areas in Ukraine after first talks on Feb 28 had failed to secure a breakthrough.
Round 2: The second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine was held on March 3. Both sides left several hours of negotiations without a cease-fire agreement and war continuing to rage.
Round 3: Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held the third round of talks on March 7. While the talks, held in Belarus, failed to achieve significant results, Mykhailo Podolyak said that there was some small progress in improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, ANI reported.
Round 4 of peace talks: The fourth round of talks between two countries were held on March 14, on the 19th day of the Russian invasion. The Russian forces continued the onslaught to capture the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Mariupol, Kherson, Yavoriv and other prominent cities continued to be attacked by missiles and shells as talks failed.
Round 5: As the fifth round of peace talks concluded between Russia and Ukraine on March 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Wednesday that the position of both countries sounded more realistic but more time was required. "The meetings continue, and, I am informed, the positions during the negotiations already sound more realistic. But time is still needed for the decisions to be in the interests of Ukraine," Zelensky said in a video message.
More than 9,000 civilians were evacuated from combat zones on Friday, reports said, including almost 5,000 from the besieged southern city of Mariupol as the Ukraine war continues. 222 people have been killed in the capital alone since the start of the war, according to rough estimates, including 60 civilians and four children. The UN rights office has reported 816 confirmed civilian deaths in the war-torn nation so far.
