Kuleba on Donbas negotiation progress: it both exists and doesn't
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that despite the current pause, the window of opportunity for talks on resolving the Donbas conflict with Russia isn't closed. In the event of a change of circumstances, the Kremlin may return to constructive thinking.
The diplomat expressed this opinion in an interview with the "Obozrevatel."
"If there's one thing that the experience of Donbas negotiations with Russia should teach us, it's that this country is constantly waiting for good circumstances to resolve the situation on their own terms. It may suit the current situation, but I believe that the window of opportunity for negotiations with Russia isn't closed. If they see that circumstances have changed, they can easily return to constructive thinking," Kuleba said.
According to him, one of the few reasons for the Kremlin's pause on the "Donbas track" was the US election. "They were looking at the administration they would bargain with," the foreign minister said.
Commenting on last year's achievements in resolving the conflict in Donbas, the diplomat noted that the progress on the "Donbas track" reminded him of the Schrödinger's cat paradox: "It both exists and doesn't."
In this context, Kuleba reminded that, on the one hand, the truce had indeed lasted the longest since the beginning of the Russian aggression. In addition, Ukraine has fulfilled everything that was agreed upon at the Paris summit.
He also stressed that Russia "had done everything to do nothing," in particular, simply talked about the opening of check-points in Shchastya and Zolote, didn't agree on regular areas for mutual separation of forces and resources, and negotiations in the Trilateral Contact Group were increasingly difficult. It is harder to talk to counselors in the Normandy format.
"My attempts and that of my German colleague to hold another round of talks at the level of foreign ministers were unsuccessful. Therefore, on the one hand, there's progress on Donbas, and on the other hand, there's no progress," the minister said.
