Putin lost chance to get out of failed war for him, - Sybiha
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Vladimir Putin’s refusal to engage in direct talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy will only increase pressure on Russia and bolster support for Ukraine.
According to Censor.NET, Sybiha wrote about this on X.
"By rejecting President Zelenskyy's proposal for direct peace talks, Putin has squandered his chance to extricate himself from this disastrous war. From here on out, things will only get worse for Russia. Casualties on the battlefield will continue to rise, and defeats will become increasingly humiliating. The economy will plunge even deeper into recession. More jobs will be lost, taxes will rise, and inflation will hit the most vulnerable segments of the population. There are no longer any safe havens in Russia that are immune to Ukraine’s far-reaching sanctions. And their intensity will only increase," the post states.
Sybiha added that international pressure on Russia will intensify.
"International pressure will not let up—it will only grow stronger. This will include the use of frozen assets, travel bans, and inevitable accountability for crimes. All of this is because the Kremlin fanatic is determined to cling to power at any cost and is willing to sacrifice his country’s future and kill millions of people for the sake of his delusions. All of this is because Putin refuses to acknowledge a simple truth: he will never achieve his goals on the battlefield. He would do well to abandon his futile hopes that Ukraine will collapse, that support from its partners will wane, or that pressure on Russia will ease," the minister added.
He warned that Russia would still have to agree to a diplomatic settlement, but the terms would be much worse.
"Putin's rejection of peace is likely to lead to a significant increase in international pressure on Russia and greater support for Ukraine," Sibiga concluded.
What happened before?
- On June 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, in which he proposed a meeting.
- In his letter, Zelenskyy proposed to Putin that they end the war "between us and you" and set a specific date for a meeting. Among the countries that could host such a meeting, the head of state mentioned Switzerland, Turkey, and countries in the Arab world.
- While negotiations are ongoing, Ukraine is prepared to implement a complete ceasefire, and the United States could provide monitoring.
- The President of Ukraine believes that an exchange of prisoners of war on an "all for all" basis could serve as a good first step toward ending the war. Zelenskyy also emphasized the need for measures to repatriate civilians and children who were taken away during the war.
- On June 5, Putin said that he had "casually" glanced at Zelenskyy’s open letter that morning and had "never refused" to meet with the Ukrainian president, but he was opposed to "talking in circles" and currently saw "no point" in direct negotiations.
