MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. The United States’ statements about possible negotiations between Moscow and Kiev are nonsense, as Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is impossible to negotiate with, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Friday.
"Even if they [the Americans] order Zelensky to begin talks, how can we hold talks with him, with Mr. Zelensky, who says one thing in the morning and quite a different thing in the evening, sending contradictory messages," Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy chairman of the international committee of Russia’s Federation Council (upper parliament house), told a news conference.
According to the Russian senator, Zelensky’s conditions that talks are possible only after a return to the 1991 borders are "simply absurd." "He is impossible to negotiate with, he is not a real political figure. <…> I don’t think that talks are possible now," he stressed.
He noted that the Americans will now be insisting on negotiations, which means, however, that "they are running out of possibilities to help [Ukraine] with weapons and munitions."
Readiness for talks
US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Thursday that the United States was waiting for signs from Russia that it was ready for serious talks on Ukraine. He said that Moscow must "demonstrate not only through word but also in deed that it is ready to negotiate."
Zelensky decreed on October 4 to reject Russia’s recognition of the independence of Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions. Apart from that, he endorsed Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council resolution on the impossibility of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was still ready for talks on Ukraine. He stressed that Russian officials would listen to their Western colleagues if they initiated a de-escalation discussion with due account for Moscow’s interests.
On February 24, Putin launched a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request for help from the heads of the Donbass republics. After that, the West imposed sweeping sanctions against Russia and beefed up arms supplies to the Kiev regime worth tens of billions of dollars.