Kremlin says legal hurdles need removal for Ukraine negotiations

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that legal obstacles must be removed for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to begin.

Speaking at a press conference today, Peskov commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for a ban on attacks on civilian infrastructure, saying, “Before negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv can begin, ‘legal obstacles need to be cleared’.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in response to Russia’s declared Easter ceasefire on April 20, had proposed “refraining from any attacks on civilian infrastructure with long-range unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles for a period of at least 30 days, with the possibility of extension.”

Putin had stated that this initiative could be discussed “at a bilateral level, as a result of dialogue.”

Journalists asked Peskov how Moscow and Kyiv could engage in dialogue, despite Russia repeatedly stating that negotiations with Ukraine are officially prohibited.

Peskov replied, “With the openness of the Ukrainian side, some steps need to be taken to legally clear these obstacles standing in the way of such contacts, if there is such preparation.”

Zelenskyy signed a decree in October 2022 stating that negotiations with Russia are impossible as long as Putin is in office.

This decree followed the accession of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Luhansk People’s Republic, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts to Russia.

Peskov stated that there are no concrete negotiation plans yet regarding the ban on attacks targeting civilian objects.

“First, this needs to be discussed. And President Putin said he is ready to discuss it. But there is nothing concrete on this matter,” Peskov added.

Peskov recalled that Putin had already explained the complexity of this proposal: it is necessary to clearly understand under what circumstances civilian objects can be military targets and under what circumstances they cannot.

The Kremlin Spokesman explained, “For example, if militants are holding a meeting there, is it a civilian object? It is civilian. But is it a military target? It is a military target. So there are nuances here that need to be discussed.”

A 30-day ban on attacks targeting energy infrastructure was in effect in Russia and Ukraine starting from March 18.

Putin had said that Kyiv violated the moratorium more than 100 times.

The Kremlin had explained the attacks as “complete lack of control” by the Ukrainian military. Kyiv, however, had denied attacks targeting energy infrastructure.