Latest news with #GeorgiyTikhiy
Russia Today
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kiev not negotiating in good faith
Ukraine does not take ceasefire negotiations with Russia seriously and only attended talks in Istanbul to avoid being viewed as an obstacle to peace in the eyes of its Western backers, Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tikhiy has said. Russia and Ukraine have held two rounds of direct talks in Istanbul in recent months. The discussions did not result in significant breakthroughs with regard to ending the conflict, but did lead to several large-scale prisoner exchanges. 'We don't expect a real ceasefire as a result of these meetings,' Tikhiy said in an interview on journalist Aleksandr Notevsky's YouTube channel on Friday. The Ukrainian diplomat explained that Kiev's presence at the talks serves to protect its image in the eyes of the international community and avoid accusations of being the side obstructing peace negotiations. 'It's to prevent anyone from accusing Ukraine of being the side that doesn't want peace,' Tikhiy said. He acknowledged concerns being raised 'in different circles, even among allied countries,' that Kiev is blocking peace efforts, explaining that 'Ukraine is sending a delegation… to show that this is not true.' The Ukrainian official acknowledged the humanitarian aspect of the talks, noting that if 'a thousand people are returned… then it's worth going and listening to any historical nonsense.' Back in May, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to resume direct negotiations with Ukraine without any preconditions in Istanbul – where Kiev had unilaterally abandoned talks back in 2022, reportedly at the behest of its Western backers. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky immediately dared the Russian president to personally meet him in Türkiye, although the Kremlin noted such a meeting would be pointless without thorough preparatory work. Ukrainian officials have since repeatedly disparaged Moscow's delegation as being too low-level, even though the same chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, worked on the original 2022 peace framework. Tikhiy claimed that the makeup of the Ukrainian delegation, which includes Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, somehow proves that Kiev is more serious about the talks than Moscow. Zelensky is seeking a personal meeting with Putin to defend his claims to legitimacy and resist Western attempts to push him out of power, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday. '[Zelensky] is insanely afraid of being forgotten, of becoming unnecessary for the West. That somehow the West will sideline him. And you can see he doesn't step away from the microphones. I think he already sleeps with a webcam,' she said. Zelensky's presidential term expired last year, and Moscow views him as illegitimate. In June, Putin said he was open to meeting with the actor-turned-politician, but suggested that the Ukrainian leader lacks legitimacy for signing binding agreements. 'I am ready to meet with anyone, including Zelensky,' Putin said. 'That's not the issue – if the Ukrainian state trusts someone to conduct negotiations, by all means, let it be Zelensky. The question is different: Who will sign the documents?'
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Zelensky Exposed! ‘Kyiv Not Negotiating Ceasefire In Good Faith, Peace Talks Are Just For Show'
Ukraine's participation in peace talks with Russia is largely performative, according to a top Ukrainian diplomat. Georgiy Tikhiy admitted that Kyiv joins negotiations in Istanbul mainly to avoid criticism from Western allies, not because it expects real ceasefire outcomes. While prisoner exchanges have occurred, meaningful diplomatic progress remains stalled. Ukrainian leaders continue to criticize Moscow's delegation as unserious, while Russia questions Zelensky's legitimacy, especially after his term expired. President Putin has signalled willingness to meet, but doubts whether Zelensky can legally sign any binding agreements. The conflict remains locked in a diplomatic stalemate, with both sides undermining each other's credibility.#ukraine #nato #putin #zelensky #trump #UkraineWar #NATOAlliance #RussiaUkraineConflict #Zelenskyy #VladimirPutin #TrumpOnUkraine #Geopolitics #EasternEuropeCrisis #GlobalSecurity #NATOMembership #USForeignPolicy #KremlinWatch #UkraineDefense #UkraineCrisis #WorldPolitics
Russia Today
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kiev is not negotiating in good faith
Ukraine does not take ceasefire negotiations with Russia seriously and only attends the talks in Istanbul to avoid being viewed as an obstacle to peace in the eyes of Western sponsors, Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tikhiy has acknowledged. Russia and Ukraine held two rounds of direct talks in Istanbul in recent months, which so far did not result in any breakthroughs with regard to ending the conflict, but led to several large-scale prisoner exchanges. 'We don't expect a real ceasefire as a result of these meetings,' Tikhiy said in an interview on the YouTube channel of journalist Aleksandr Notevsky on Friday. The Ukrainian diplomat explained that Kiev's presence at the talks serves to protect its image in the eyes of the international community and avoid accusations of being the side obstructing peace negotiations. 'It's to prevent anyone from accusing Ukraine of being the side that doesn't want peace,' Tikhiy said. He acknowledged concerns being raised 'in different circles, even among allied countries' that Kiev is blocking peace efforts, explaining that 'Ukraine is sending a delegation… to show that this is not true.' The Ukrainian official acknowledged the humanitarian aspect of the talks, noting that if 'a thousand people are returned… then it's worth going and listening to any historical nonsense.' Back in May, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Kiev to resume direct negotiations without any preconditions in Istanbul – where Kiev had unilaterally abandoned talks back in 2022, reportedly at the behest of its Western backers. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky immediately dared the Russian president to personally meet him in Türkiye, but the Kremlin noted such a meeting would be absolutely pointless without thorough preparatory work. Ukrainian officials have since repeatedly disparaged Moscow's delegation as being too low-level, even though the same chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky worked on the original 2022 peace framework. Tikhiy claimed that the makeup of the Ukrainian delegation, which includes Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, somehow proves that Kiev is more serious about the talks than Moscow. Zelensky is seeking a personal meeting with Putin to defend his claims to legitimacy and resist Western attempts to push him out of power, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday. 'He is insanely afraid of being forgotten, of becoming unnecessary for the West. That somehow the West will sideline him. And you can see he doesn't step away from the microphones. I think he already sleeps with a webcam,' she said. Zelensky's presidential term expired last year, and Moscow views him as illegitimate. In June, Putin said he was open to meeting with the actor-turned-politician, but suggested that the Ukrainian leader lacks legitimacy for signing binding agreements. 'I am ready to meet with anyone, including Zelensky,' Putin said. 'That's not the issue – if the Ukrainian state trusts someone to conduct negotiations, by all means, let it be Zelensky. The question is different: Who will sign the documents?'
