Ukraine ready for direct talks with Russia, warns ceasefire terms could change: Melnyk at UN

Ukraine stays open to direct talks with Russia for a just peace, but may revise its current proposals if the international community continues to maintain a wait-and-see attitude.

Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Andrii Melnyk, stated this during a UN Security Council meeting, Ukrinform reports.

According to the diplomat, Ukraine has significantly altered the dynamics of the war over the past month. He noted that even Russian military bloggers increasingly admit that Moscow is incapable of winning the war.

Melnyk said that the consequences of the Kremlin’s aggression are being felt more and more within Russia itself. He stated that the «boomerang of war» has already returned to Russian territory, and Russians are beginning to experience its real consequences for the first time.
Furthermore, Ukraine’s representative stated that roughly 40% of Russian oil refineries have already been damaged, weakening the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war machine.

He also said that recent strikes have exposed the weakness of Russian air defenses. Even the reinforced protection around Moscow is incapable of fully shielding military facilities.

The Ukrainian diplomat recalled that over the past 15 months, Kyiv has repeatedly called on the Security Council to adopt a resolution for a full and unconditional ceasefire, but these initiatives were not supported.

«We are ready for direct negotiations with Russia in accordance with the UN Charter. But our patience is not limitless,» Melnyk stressed.

He added that if the international community fails to act more decisively, Ukraine may change its current position on a truce.

«A ceasefire along the actual front line is already a major compromise,» the diplomat said.
Concluding his speech, Melnyk called on Russia to withdraw its troops from all occupied territories of Ukraine, stating that the Kremlin will not be able to hold the seized lands.