Andriy Yermak, the head of the presidential office of Ukraine, stated that in order to start negotiations with Russia, Moscow must return to the positions it occupied until February 23, 2022. Yermak said this in an interview with the Italian Corriere della Sera publication. Yermak notes that President Volodymyr Zelensky "never talked about territorial compromise", but demands acceptance of internationally recognized borders.
He also said that the Ukrainian status of Crimea and Donbas "is not subject to negotiation", although Zelensky spoke about his willingness to negotiate back in 2022.
"However, in order to start negotiations, we must return to the situation that existed before February 23. Then we will talk about how to restore our sovereignty on the borders of 1991. We cannot build a peace proposal by allowing ourselves to be influenced by those who wanted this war. We will be ready to hold an international conference when we feel the power and support of Russia for negotiations with," says the head of the Ukrainian president's staff.
