Ukrainians are not ready for Zelenskyy-Putin talks - Feygin

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

"Moscow operates through numerous confidants and openly supports players, such as China. What is China currently asserting? That Moscow must be involved in negotiations, and talks without Moscow hold no weight. I, by the way, am not convinced of this. But what if the negotiations were about Ukraine's accession to NATO? Should Moscow be invited then? The problem lies not with Moscow or even Ukraine - it lies with the West, regarding what it is willing or unwilling to do. Alright, let's consider the Swiss format, concerning Zelenskyy's Peace Formula, which includes preconditions for negotiations - the liberation of occupied territories. Moscow - hypothetically - might participate, even if this condition were lifted. Let's assume such a scenario. But can an agreement be reached with Moscow in its current state? Is it ready for diplomatic or any other compromises? Let them demonstrate that to me," explained Feygin.

The politician noted that if the West is considering the possibility of giving back the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, it should speak about it publicly.

"Let's suppose they hinted - publicly, it must be done publicly, without referring to any specific individual, anonymously - that they are willing to consider the possibility of us relinquishing some territories. But it needs to be done publicly; it can't be done through whispers from Sullivan or something Lavrov said to someone - no. There must be a public signal. Why? Public opinion in Ukraine is not ready for this - it's not ready to sanction Zelenskyy's initiation of negotiations with Putin. There's no sense that negotiations can begin, and Zelenskyy should engage in them," he added.

• Russia said that France had expressed its readiness to engage in a dialogue on Ukraine or discuss possible peace talks. Paris denied this statement.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu have increasingly started talking about peace talks with Ukraine in order to force the West to make concessions.