Latest news with #AndreySibiga
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian FM rejects Trump's peace suggestion
Kiev will not agree to make any concessions to Moscow, Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has stated. His remark came shortly after US President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that any potential peace agreement between the conflicting nations would likely involve 'some swapping of territories.' Moscow insists that the Lugansk People's Republic, the Donetsk People's Republic, and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions became part of Russia following referendums held in 2022. Crimea voted to join in 2014. In a post on X on Sunday, Sibiga wrote: 'No rewards or gifts to the aggressor to appease him,' adding that 'every concession invites further aggression.' His comment echoed a string of posts published on X by Vladimir Zelensky the previous day, in which he vowed not to 'allow this second attempt to partition Ukraine' and the 'legalization of the occupation of our land.' According to Zelensky, the first 'partition' took place following the 2014 Maidan coup in Kiev, when Crimeans overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in a referendum that the new Ukrainian leadership and the West have dismissed as a sham. Weeks later, an uprising happened in predominantly Russian-speaking Donetsk Region and Lugansk Region. Citing the threat of forced Ukrainization, the secessionists established their own independent republics with the intention of eventually following Crimea's example. A bloody military conflict followed, but Kiev failed to completely regain control of either territory by force. The Ukrainian officials' statements came after Trump announced earlier this week that he would be meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska on August 15, and that the two would try to find a way out of the conflict. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the Russian president met in Moscow on Wednesday. According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Washington had made an 'acceptable' offer, but he declined to provide further details. Moscow has long accused Zelensky of denying reality and unnecessarily prolonging a conflict he cannot win.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian foreign minister rejects Trump's peace suggestion
Kiev will not agree to make any concessions to Moscow, Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has stated. His remark came shortly after US President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that any potential peace agreement between the conflicting nations would likely involve 'some swapping of territories.' Moscow insists that the Lugansk People's Republic, the Donetsk People's Republic, and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions became part of Russia following referendums held in 2022. Crimea voted to join in 2014. In a post on X on Sunday, Sibiga wrote: 'No rewards or gifts to the aggressor to appease him,' adding that 'every concession invites further aggression.' His comment echoed a string of posts published on X by Vladimir Zelensky the previous day, in which he vowed not to 'allow this second attempt to partition Ukraine' and the 'legalization of the occupation of our land.' According to Zelensky, the first 'partition' took place following the 2014 Maidan coup in Kiev, when Crimeans overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in a referendum that the new Ukrainian leadership and the West have dismissed as a sham. Weeks later, an uprising happened in predominantly Russian-speaking Donetsk Region and Lugansk Region. Citing the threat of forced Ukrainization, the secessionists established their own independent republics with the intention of eventually following Crimea's example. A bloody military conflict followed, but Kiev failed to completely regain control of either territory by force. The Ukrainian officials' statements came after Trump announced earlier this week that he would be meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska on August 15, and that the two would try to find a way out of the conflict. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the Russian president met in Moscow on Wednesday. According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Washington had made an 'acceptable' offer, but he declined to provide further details. Moscow has long accused Zelensky of denying reality and unnecessarily prolonging a conflict he cannot win.
Russia Today
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine complains about global Russia Day congratulations
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has criticized countries that sent congratulatory messages to Russia on its national holiday. He voiced his displeasure after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio extended greetings to Moscow on Russia Day, a public holiday celebrated on June 12. 'As a minister of a country at war, I found it especially unpleasant to read this morning that some countries were publicly congratulating Russia on its national holiday,' Sibiga said at the Weimar+ summit in Rome on Thursday. 'There can be no reward for an aggressor state. I have a moral right to say this,' he added. In a statement published on the State Department's website, Rubio said the US 'remains committed to supporting the Russian people as they continue to build on their aspirations for a brighter future.' He reaffirmed that Washington is seeking 'constructive engagement with the Russian Federation to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine.'Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the message as 'positive news,' noting a shift from the more hostile policies of former President Joe Biden. The US suspended nearly all contact with Russia in 2022 following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict and imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow. Under President Donald Trump, however, the two sides resumed direct negotiations and agreed to gradually normalize relations. Countries including India, Oman, and Kazakhstan also issued congratulatory statements on Russia Day. 'Our special and privileged strategic partnership continues to serve the interests of our peoples,' Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a message to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
Russia Today
30-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
NYT reports details of Kiev's memorandum
Ukraine's memorandum ahead of the next round of direct negotiations with Russia calls for an internationally observed ceasefire, the New York Times has reported, citing an anonymous senior official. Moscow has consistently maintained that any ceasefire should not be used by Kiev to rearm its forces. The two sides last met for direct talks in Istanbul on May 16, marking the first formal negotiations since 2022. The meeting resulted in the largest prisoner exchange to date, with 1,000 POWs released by each side. The parties also agreed to prepare memorandums outlining their positions on a potential ceasefire ahead of the next meeting. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed holding follow-up talks on Monday, June 2, again in Istanbul. In an article on Friday, the NYT quoted an unnamed source as saying that the Ukrainian document includes 'provisions for a cease-fire on land, at sea and in the air, with monitoring to be carried out by international partners.' The Ukrainian leadership had previously insisted on a 30-day pause in hostilities as a precondition for negotiations. Russia rejected that scenario, arguing that Kiev would use it to regroup its military. The NYT did not mention the timeframe in Kiev's latest proposal. Speaking on Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga accused Moscow of stalling the negotiations by refusing to share its memorandum ahead of the meeting on Monday. That same day, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the document 'will not be made public.' Responding to a similar demand made by Ukrainian defense minister and top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, on Wednesday, Peskov dismissed it as 'unconstructive.' Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova revealed that Moscow's memorandum includes the 'principles of settlement, a timeframe for a potential peace agreement [and] a potential ceasefire for a certain period of time.' Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that for a full ceasefire to be achieved, Ukraine must halt mobilization, stop receiving foreign weapons, and withdraw its forces from the territories that became part of Russia following referendums in 2022. Meanwhile, in an interview with ABC News on Thursday, Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, urged Kiev to attend the next round of negotiations with Moscow, irrespective of whether or not Russia agrees to share its memorandum beforehand. Speaking of the Ukrainian document, Kellogg said that he had seen it, revealing that the memorandum includes 22 terms which he characterized as 'pretty good' and 'reasonable.'
Russia Today
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine wants Putin-Zelensky meeting
Ukraine is interested in Russian President Vladimir Putin having face-to-face talks with Vladimir Zelensky, according to the country's foreign minister, Andrey Sibiga. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out this past weekend that such a meeting is 'possible,' but only after the negotiators from Moscow and Kiev reach 'certain agreements' regarding the settlement of the Ukraine conflict. Sibiga was asked by Euronews on Tuesday about Kiev's reaction to Pope Leo XIV's offer to host the continuation of talks between Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican. The dialogue restarted after a three-year break in Istanbul, Türkiye last week. 'I can confirm to you that proposals to organize possible contacts, including at the level of leaders, were made by the Vatican,' he replied. Kiev is ready to 'consider potential venues for such a meeting,' the foreign minister said, referring to the possible Putin-Zelensky talks. The Ukrainian leader would also like to get together with US President Donald Trump, Sibiga added. After Putin offered for the sides to engage in unconditional direct talks in Istanbul on May 15, Zelensky said that he would arrive in Türkiye, but insisted that he would only talk with the Russian president, who never voiced an intention to take part in the meeting personally. Zelensky eventually changed his stance on the issue and the talks taking proceeded with a one-day delay, involving a Russian delegation headed by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and a Ukrainian team led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. According to Medinsky, the Ukrainians have also asked for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky during the negotiations in Istanbul, with their request being 'taken into account' by Moscow. Following the phone call between Putin and Trump on Monday, the US president claimed that Moscow and Kiev would immediately begin direct negotiations on introducing a ceasefire. Putin, on his part, said that Russia would work with the Ukrainian side to draft a memorandum on a potential future peace treaty that would outline a 'range of provisions,' including the timeline for a potential temporary truce 'should the necessary agreements be reached.'
