Negotiating while continuing war is exactly what Putin wants — diplomat

Diplomat Volodymyr Ohryzko stated this in an interview on Espreso TV.

"Many stereotypes and phobias still exist in the minds of many European partners, including in the mind of the head of the White House. These phobias are based on the idea that Russia is an invincible country, a country with nuclear weapons, and therefore it cannot be defeated in any way. The only option is to negotiate with it, to ask it, or to lure it to the negotiating table with some kind of incentives. And this mantra that 'we need negotiations to start'—it means nothing. This is when you don’t understand what is really behind the word 'negotiations,'" Ohryzko emphasized.

According to the diplomat, negotiating with Russia while simultaneously waging war is exactly what should be avoided. And it is precisely what Putin wants. The Kremlin leader wants a situation where he can use negotiations as cover while continuing the war.

"So the question is: what are we talking about? About a ceasefire? About ending the war? Or about negotiations that simply cover up the ongoing war? Unfortunately, this is a question that our European partners are unable to grasp today. We simply cannot get it through to them that the issue is not about negotiations, but about forcing Putin to make peace.

In Europe, there is still fear of Russia as a country with nuclear weapons. And many there, through Russian Trojan horses, are sabotaging the very idea of European unity, weakening both the EU and NATO," Ohryzko concluded.

• The special representative of the U.S. president, Keith Kellogg, called on Russia for an immediate ceasefire, accusing the Kremlin of dragging out negotiations. 

• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Kyiv and Washington of a lack of progress in peace talks with Russia. Peskov also stated that Moscow now "has a strategic advantage" and commented on the "ceasefire." The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Russians will continue to portray the U.S. as weak until there are consequences for refusing peace efforts.