Rutte on Russian delegation: Moscow fails to use opportunity offered by Zelenskyy to pursue peace
By sending a low-level delegation to the negotiations in Turkey, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has failed to seize the opportunity for peace.
According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform, this was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a press conference in Antalya on the sidelines of the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
"Russia is sending a low-level delegation and is not using the opportunity President Zelenskyy has offered. He stated he is ready to sit down with Putin. Once there is a ceasefire, we are ready to negotiate a peace agreement — Ukraine is clearly willing to play by the rules. But now the ball is in Russia’s court," Rutte emphasized.
According to Rutte, any ceasefire or peace agreement aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine must be "long-lasting and sustainable" so that "there is no repeat of the situation in 2014-2015 with the Minsk agreements, which were effectively violated before the ink was dry."
"We cannot allow this to happen again. Peace must be lasting and sustainable. This week, the ball is clearly in Russia's court," the NATO Secretary General added.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte earlier noted that the success of the talks in Turkey would depend on whether Russia shows up — and who represents it.
As previously reported, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has officially approved the composition of the delegation that will travel to Istanbul for negotiations with Ukraine on 15 May. According to the document, the Russian delegation includes: Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff Igor Kostyukov, and Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
