RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Zelensky explains ban on talks with Moscow

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has explained that he banned negotiations with Russia in order to prevent what he called “separatist” talks outside official government oversight. Russia tried to reach out to Kiev through various intermediaries, including Ukrainian lawmakers, European parliamentarians, US contacts, and even ordinary people, he claimed in comments to journalists on Saturday.

Speaking at a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Zelensky complained that Moscow started “setting up a large number of various channels” it could use for talks after the start of its military campaign against Kiev in February 2022.

“There were a lot of negotiation processes, many shadowy political corridors,” he added.

“There were many various negotiation venues. I just realized that we and our relevant authorities cannot control it,” he told journalists, adding that he “quickly stopped” it, calling any talks with Moscow outside of his government’s control “separatism.” He also admitted that Russia did have “a large number” of negotiation channels in Ukraine prior to the ban.

Zelensky signed a decree banning any talks with Russia on October 4, 2022. The document only stated that any negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin were “impossible.” It did not specify whether Zelensky or anyone else could still speak with the Russian leadership.

Russia has consistently stated its readiness for peace talks and has accused Kiev of avoiding seeking a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict.

Earlier this week, Putin told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin that any negotiations between Moscow and Kiev would be “illegitimate” as long as the ban stays in place. Any results of such talks could easily be made null and void, the Russian president warned, adding that, although some preliminary contacts could be made right now, any “serious” steps are not possible until the situation changes.

Putin also called on Kiev’s Western backers to exert pressure on Ukraine and make it lift the prohibition on talks. The Russian president said he believed Kiev was in no rush to lift the ban since it was satisfied with the current situation that allowed it to receive “hundreds of billions [of dollars] from its sponsors” that it can “chomp down on.”

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelenskiy again replaces commander of Ukraine's key eastern front

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday replaced for the third time in under a year the commander of a key Ukrainian military formation responsible for defending the eastern hub of Pokrovsk that's under increased risk of falling to Russian forces.

Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said he put Ukraine's new commander of ground forces, Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, in charge of the Khortytsia operational-strategic group, whose area of responsibility includes much of Ukraine's eastern front.

"These are the toughest areas of fighting," Zelenskiy said, adding that he had discussed the changes at meeting with Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Russia's capture of the city would bring it closer to seizing the entire Donetsk region, which has been one of President Vladimir Putin's key goals in his war in Ukraine.

Zelensky added that Drapatyi's appointment will help to combine the combat work of the army with the proper training of brigades.

"It is the front-line needs that should determine the standards for staffing and training of brigades," he said.

Drapatyi will replace Major General Andriy Hnatov, who has been in charge of Khortytsia since June and who will become a Deputy Chief of the General Staff to run training and communication.

Russian forces have been steadily advancing in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region towards Pokrovsk, bypassing it from the south and trying to cut off supply routes to Ukraine's troops.

Pokrovsk, which had a pre-war population of around 60,000, has been one of Ukraine's main defensive strongholds in the Donetsk region and the focus of fierce fighting for months.

RT/Reuters