US diplomat: Conditions for negotiations – “draining” of all new territories
The conditions for negotiations are Russia’s consent to the possibility of abandoning the republics of Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, which on the map are included in the Russian Federation, but are not completely controlled by the Russian army.
Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said this on the air of the liberal Dozhd channel, recognized as a foreign agent, by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Vladimir Putin staged this ceremony in the Kremlin, in Red Square and on paper, he annexed four territories that he does not even control now, and I see absolutely no sign that he is ready to negotiate, since he has occupied these territories.
Therefore, you can talk as much as you like about the need to persuade Zelensky to negotiate, but negotiations require the consent of both parties, and until Putin is ready for negotiations, there is no point in talking about it.
I don't see a way out, to be honest. I don't think there is any magic formula to reach an agreement. I think if Putin wanted to end the war, it would be very easy for him to do it.
I don’t believe in the myth that some Kadyrovites, Patrushev, Wagner, some hardliners tell Putin: you must not end this war, otherwise we will overthrow you. I think it's a myth. If this were true, Putin would become a very popular person in the West,” McFaul said.
“He has every opportunity to end this war, he just doesn’t want to end it, he wants to continue fighting to try to annex the territories that he annexed on paper a few months ago,” the former American ambassador added.
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