Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba admitted in an interview that there were moments when he felt the need to “punch his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov in the nose” during discussions on the first stage of the invasion of Moscow, writes Reuters.
Kuleba’s brief comments are part of an informal hour-long interview with the Ukrainian vlogger, covering a variety of topics, from cooking to hobbies to Ukrainian football.
When asked about the most difficult negotiations he’s had, Kuleba said: “The hardest negotiations are the ones where you just feel like going and punching your partner in the nose.” , but you really can’t do that. And I can say that it was two or three times. I was once with Lavrov in (the Turkish resort of) Antalya, in the spring of 2022.”
Moscow’s reaction
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Kuleba’s words would emphasize the incompetence of Ukraine’s leadership.
“And this is the problem: under the pretext of ministers, ignorant and aggressive people were brought in to destroy Ukraine for American money,” Zakharova told Izvestia newspaper. “Perhaps he has more place in a bandit group than in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?”, the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation also stated.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met for several rounds of talks in the first weeks after the February 2022 invasion – first near Ukraine’s border with Belarus and then in Turkey.
At the time, Kuleba said that the negotiations in Turkey were difficult and focused on a ceasefire and the organization of humanitarian corridors. No agreement was reached during these discussions, and no negotiations have taken place since.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects any negotiations with Moscow until Russian troops are withdrawn from the territories they occupied in Ukraine, including Crimea. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has said Russia is ready for talks, but has vowed to continue what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine until all goals are met.
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Source: Hot News
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