Signs that Russia is ready to negotiate on Ukraine to end the war ‘are not just a fiction’, but talks with Vladimir Zelensky are out of the question, because they would lead to nothing. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this in an interview with the radio stations Sputnik, Govorit Moskva and Komsomolskaya Pravda.
“We are fully convinced that we must continue the special military operation. We declare our readiness for negotiations not just for show. This is indeed the truth, but talking to Zelensky is useless for many reasons“, explained the head of Russian diplomacy.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also spoke about the progress of the talks after the talks he had with the Chinese leadership in Beijing in recent days. Scholz reiterated that he had seen “a very important boost” to diplomatic efforts to end the war. According to Scholz, these efforts are “still a plant that needs to be watered a lot… but it’s something that exists and that we are cultivating.”
During his visit to Beijing on Tuesday 16 April, Scholz agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping to coordinate “intensely and positively” on the peace summit to be held in Switzerland on 15 and 16 June and on any other events.
”A peace negotiation needs a prerequisite, the same thing that we ask and are all asking of Israel: a day of truce”, said the Defense Minister Guido Crosetto to ‘Down the mask’ on Radio Uno: ”It didn’t happen that Russia stopped dropping bombs on Ukraine for just one hour. The day we have the first 24 hours without attacks, we will be able to start building a path to respite. And this is an invitation that the United Nations should make, just as it has done and is doing so to Israel.”
Ukraine demands weapons
The topic of Ukraine was widely discussed at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Capri. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba highlighted the importance of air defense systems in stemming Russian attacks.
“We discussed how Italy on a practical level can contribute to strengthening Ukraine’s air defense. We are also grateful for Italy’s participation in the reconstruction of Ukraine and look forward to further projects in this regard,” Kuleba wrote on X after the bilateral meeting with the owner of the Farnesina, Antonio Tajani. “We also discussed preparations for the Global Peace Summit and the path to a just peace in Ukraine through the implementation of President Zelensky’s Peace Formula,” he added.
