Ukraine says Russia must withdraw to pre-war positions for talks

AP: Ukraine’s president said Wednesday that Russia must pull back to its pre-war positions as a first step before diplomatic talks, a negotiating line that Moscow is unlikely to agree to anytime soon.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he currently sees no willingness on the part of Russia to resume stalled negotiations on ending the three-month war.

Speaking by video link to attendees at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelenskyy expressed a willingness to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin directly, but stressed that Moscow needs to make clear it too is ready to “shift from the bloody war to diplomacy.”

“It’s possible if Russia shows at least something. When I say at least something, I mean pulling back troops to where they were before Feb. 24,” the day Russia’s invasion began, he said. “I believe it would be a correct step for Russia to make.”
Zelenskyy also made clear that Ukraine wants to drive Russian troops out of all captured areas.

“Ukraine will fight until it reclaims all its territories,” he said. “It’s about our independence and our sovereignty.”

Russia, which has gradually narrowed its own military goals in Ukraine amid fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces, might be playing for time, Zelenskyy added.