No peace talks or preconditions for them now - Russian opposition expert Morozov

He expressed this opinion in an interview with Antin borkovskyi, host of the Studio West program on Espreso TV.

“If we look at the actual negotiation processes, I would say that nothing fundamentally new is happening compared to last year. Why? The first point is important. Sometimes it is said that changes on the frontline strengthen the negotiating side of Ukraine if it has success, or the negotiating side of the Kremlin when, for example, Putin carries out massive shelling of infrastructure. But in reality, in my opinion, there is no strengthening of the negotiating position, because both formulas - both Putin's and Ukraine's - do not provide for any compromise. And here, many are trying to formulate something between these two positions,” said Morozov.

According to him, we hear the voices of those who simply talk about a ceasefire, and this is indeed enshrined in the China-Brazil memorandum. Someone is discussing that perhaps Ukraine will give up its territories, and then the road to peace will open. Some say that in order to try to reach an agreement, perhaps the Kremlin will agree to take some territories and return some, and end the war-that would be a compromise.

“The Kremlin itself rhetorically refers to the Istanbul agreements. But this is only rhetoric today, because since the Istanbul talks in 2022, the situation has changed radically. Everyone knows it, understands it, and has talked about it many times. Since the Istanbul talks, the Kremlin has annexed not only Crimea but also four regions of Ukraine. And this fundamentally changes the situation. Even though the Kremlin operated before the Istanbul talks, it constantly emphasizes that the issue of these four regions of Ukraine must be resolved firmly in Russia's favor. That is, it demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from these territories and their transfer to Russian jurisdiction. All this does not create any possible step for real negotiations,” the political analyst commented.

Morozov added that negotiations have been and are ongoing on some tracks - the exchange of prisoners, and probably negotiations on the need to stop shelling of infrastructure, negotiations with the IAEA on nuclear power plants, and so on. But in his opinion, there are no negotiations on peace and no preconditions for them.

• On September 5, Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Negammer said that his country was ready to serve as a platform for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
• On September 13, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said that the only solution to end the war in Ukraine and Gaza is negotiations.
• Major General Serhiy Kryvonos believes that it is important for Ukraine to switch the economy to martial law, prepare mobilization resources and fortifications, and actively cooperate with partners.