Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, told AFP on Nov. 20 that engaging in negotiations with Russia doesn't make sense now since Moscow wants to use them to stall time while training newly mobilized soldiers and finding weapons.
He also said that agreeing to hold peace talks on Russia’s terms would be the equivalent of a capitulation, which would be "bizarre" given that Russia is losing on the battlefield.
Podolyak said that Ukraine needs more weapons to end the war.
He estimated Ukraine’s current needs at 150-200 tanks, about 300 armored vehicles, 100 artillery systems, 50-70 multiple launch rocket systems, including HIMARS, as well as 10-15 anti-aircraft defense systems to close the sky. He also mentioned U.S.-made ATACMS missiles, which have a range of 300 kilometers.
Earlier on Nov. 17, Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow's mass strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure are a result of Ukraine’s "unwillingness to negotiate."
The statement came a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Western countries had given “signals” that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought direct talks with Ukraine. Instead of typical negotiations held behind the doors, Zelensky said that he had proposed public talks with the Kremlin since “Russia is waging a public war.”
Ukraine and Russia held peace talks in the early stage of the full-scale war, but no results were achieved. Ukraine said negotiations with Russia are impossible until a complete military withdrawal. Zelensky said he would only be open to the idea if Putin is no longer in power.
