Russia is not ready for peace talks – Nauseda
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda believes that Russia is not ready for peace negotiations and will not abandon its imperial ambitions even if a peace agreement is concluded.
He stated this during a discussion on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.
Nauseda said that he has always been and will likely remain skeptical because both he and the entire country know Russia very well. He explained that while Ukrainians are speaking the language of diplomacy and are currently working on a 20-point peace plan, Russians, in contrast, are speaking the language of missiles.
Nauseda suggested that it is still too early to conclude that Russians are ready to accept a peace plan and begin negotiations. He said that he believes Russia is trying to gain more time in order to continue striking Ukraine. He explained that Russia is currently primarily targeting critical infrastructure in order to make civilian life impossible, even in Kyiv.
He added that although Russia might sit down for peace talks at a later stage, some issues in the 20-point peace plan or certain elements of it are unacceptable to Russia. In his view, this mainly concerns territorial concessions from Ukraine, since Russia wants the entire Donbas. He also noted that Russia does not agree with the principle of maintaining the strong Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Nauseda also warned against illusions that Russia would abandon its imperial ambitions if a peace agreement were concluded one day. He said that he sees no signals that such a change could happen, adding that the Kremlin regime is what it is and that even a change of regime would likely not mean radical changes in Russia's policy.
Reflecting on statements by Russian opposition leaders, he said that they actually present the same ideas, which are primarily about Russia's expansionist policy. He added that, unlike the European Union, Russia seeks to expand through the use of force.
As Ukrinform previously reported, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the European Union supports Ukraine amid ongoing Russian attacks and is ready to continue cooperation with the United States to achieve a just and lasting peace.
Photo: Elta