The Russian authorities sent "signals" to Kyiv about the possible "building of bridges" and "unblocking of relations" - against the background of the large-scale armed invasion of Ukraine, which has been going on for more than 8 months. This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a press conference with the President of the African country of Guinea-Bissau, Oumar Sissou Embalo, on Thursday.
The President of Guinea-Bissau held talks with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday. According to Zelenskiy, the Russian authorities sent signals to the authorities of Ukraine with him.
"He said that Russia wants to build bridges," Zelenskiy noted, stressing that in order for it to be possible to talk about something, Russia must stop attacks on civilian infrastructure. "The second issue, which was conveyed by Russia, is that we need to unblock relations... Let's start unblocking at least our Black Sea," the Ukrainian president said.
In Zelensky's opinion, signals from Vladimir Putin about readiness for dialogue are only rhetoric aimed at the Russian audience and those countries that still maintain political relations with Russia. He emphasized that Ukraine will be ready for negotiations if Russia respects its sovereignty, territorial integrity and borders, which is not happening now.
Embalo confirmed that he had conveyed to Zelenskiy the contents of his conversation with Putin. Official Moscow has not yet commented on the words of the Ukrainian president.
The day before, while in Moscow, the president of Guinea-Bissau said that he came as a brother and as a friend. He also stated that he hoped for a dialogue between "two brotherly nations", referring to Ukraine and Russia. In Kyiv, Embalo said that Ukraine, like Russia, is a partner for him, and also reminded that Guinea-Bissau at the UN condemned the Russian annexation of Ukrainian territories.
After the annexation, Zelenskiy signed a decree on the impossibility of negotiations with Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Kyiv did not rule out negotiations with Russia in principle.
The official rhetoric of the Russian authorities regarding Ukraine has recently become increasingly harsh. On Wednesday, for example, Putin said that Ukraine has become an instrument of US foreign policy and has practically lost its sovereignty. Moscow also accuses Kyiv of preparing the explosion of the so-called dirty bomb, which Ukraine categorically denies.