Russia and Ukraine are talking about a peace deal while their soldiers kill each other, but there has been no breakthrough and they remain far apart on the question of territory. President Vladimir Putin says the “special military operation” in Ukraine is necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Moscow had to defend against the persecution of Russian-speaking people by Ukraine. Ukraine says it is fighting against an imperial-style land grab and that Putin’s claims of genocide are nonsense.
What Are the Main Issues?
Territory:
Neutrality:
Russian Rights: The status of Russian language and Russian-speaking people in Ukraine is an issue for Moscow. A law passed by Ukraine in 2019 granted special status to the Ukrainian language and made it mandatory for public sector workers.
“De-Nazification”: Putin says Ukraine has allowed Nazi-like groups to commit “genocide” against Russian-speaking communities. The Azov Battalion, part of Ukraine’s national guard, has been accused by Moscow of being a Nazi organisation which has terrorised Russian civilians and carried out war crimes. Formed in 2014 from volunteers who fought against Russian-backed rebel regions, its founders have expressed extreme right-wing white supremacist and anti-Semitic views. The Azov Battalion did not reply to a request for comment. Ukrainian presidential aides have repeatedly mentioned the role of Azov in the defence of the port city of Mariupol where it is based. Ukraine dismisses such claims of genocide against Russian speakers. Zelenskiy says it is Russia that is behaving like the Nazis by visiting destruction on Ukrainian cities.
Who is Talking and How?
Talks on trying to find an end to the conflict began on Feb. 28, four days after Putin ordered troops into Ukraine. Some talks have been in person at the Belarusian border or in Belarus and Turkey, while others have taken place via video conference. The Russian team is led by presidential adviser Medinsky, a Russian who was born in Soviet Ukraine but who casts modern Ukraine as a “historical phantom” because “the so-called history of Ukraine is not simply inextricably linked to the thousand year history of Rus/Russia/U.S.S.R. but it is Russian history itself”.
He said on Wednesday that Ukraine had expressed a willingness to agree to Russia’s demands. Ukraine’s negotiating team is Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.
Putin and Zelenskiy?
A meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy would indicate a real chance of peace as Russia has repeatedly said there will be no meeting until the details of a deal have been largely agreed.
By Guy Faulconbridge for Reuters
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