Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there's a Ukrainian decree from 2022 that rules out negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that it raises the question of who could sit at the table in potential peace talks aimed at ending their three-year war.
Here's what Russian official said on potential Putin, Zelenskyy meeting
Peskov, during his daily conference call with reporters, remarked that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “is still legally prohibited from negotiating with the Russian side.”
However, the Russian official noted that it was a 'positive' development from Ukraine that Zelenskyy expressed readiness on Tuesday to negotiate peace with Russia as soon as possible. Referring to the Ukrainian decree, Peskov pointed out, "But the details have not changed yet."
What does the presidential decree say?
According to reports, the presidential decree was signed in September 2022, seven months after Russia's cross-border invasion. It declared that holding negotiations with Putin became impossible after the Kremlin's decision to illegally annex four regions of Ukraine—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
The decree enacted a decision by Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council to bolster Ukrainian defences and seek more weapons from the country's Western allies.
When the decree was signed, Russia said that it would wait for Ukraine to sit down for talks on ending the conflict, noting that such a step may not happen until a new Ukrainian president takes office.
Trump suspends military aid to Ukraine
Notably, the Trump administration suspended its crucial military aid to Ukraine as the United States sought to pressure Zelenskyy into negotiating an end to the war. While Zelenskyy continues to placate Trump, it is not clear whether the support will resume.
Ukrainian forces are currently finding it hard to slow Russian advances along the 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) front line, especially in the eastern Donetsk region.
US President Donald Trump has said that he has received "strong signals" from Russia that it is ready for peace and that Zelenskyy has written to him saying his country is ready to come to the negotiating table and also sign an agreement on minerals and security.
(With inputs from AP)
Also Read | Zelenskyy regrets White House showdown after US halts aid, says ready to work under Trump's leadership