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Russia should negotiate Ukraine’s future with Trump — Russia’s ex-PM

According to Sergey Stepashin, there is no legitimate government in Kiev

MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. Russia should negotiate the future of Ukraine with US President-elect Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s congratulations were a signal to him, Russia’s former Prime Minister Sergey Stepashin told TASS.

"Who will sign [a reconciliation agreement on Ukraine’s part]? There is no legitimate government. Let’s be honest, we will most likely have to somehow negotiate with Trump," he said.

"Vladimir Putin congratulated him, did you notice that? He did congratulate him, [and that was] a signal," the former premier added.

Vladimir Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News on November 29 that the "hot phase" of the conflict could be concluded if Kiev-controlled territories were placed under the NATO umbrella. Ukraine had not officially considered such a proposal, as it had not been formally put forward, he noted. Ukraine’s Strana news outlet pointed out that this was Zelensky’s first statement since February 2022, signaling his readiness to end the conflict without the return of the lost territories. On December 1, Zelensky told a press conference in Kiev that Ukraine would never accept NATO membership without the return of the lost territories.

On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined the country’s conditions for settling the situation in Ukraine at a meeting with Russia's Foreign Ministry. These included the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass and Novorossiya and Kiev's refusal to join NATO. In addition, Russia demands that all Western sanctions against it be lifted and insists that Ukraine commit to a non-aligned, nuclear-free status. Putin indicated that if Ukraine and the West refuse these conditions, they could change in the future. Kiev rejected the Russian peace plan.

After the massive Ukrainian attack on the Kursk Region that began on August 6, the Russian leader said that negotiations with a government that attacks civilians are pointless. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on December 4 he saw no grounds for Russian-Ukrainian negotiations at this point.

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Ukraine crisis Foreign policy Ukraine

Military operation in Ukraine

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