A summit between the leaders of Russia, China and the United States would encourage Vladimir Putin to continue the war against Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha said. He made the comment in a post on the social network “Ex“, quoted by Reuters.
According to Sibiha, a trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the United States and Russia could help end the war more quickly. The Russia-China-USA format, however, would have the opposite effect, the Ukrainian minister believes.
“Inviting Putin for such a meeting would fuel his quest for greatness and would give him a status he does not deserve“, said Sibiha.He added that Putin is not a world leader, but a war criminal, and Russia is not a world power, but a global problem. The assessments are part of the Ukrainian government's political position on the possible participation of the Russian president in an international format with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
Kiev sets a condition for negotiations
Sibiha said that Vladimir Putin has no place at the negotiating table with the presidents of the US and China unless he first takes a serious step towards peace. As an example, he cited the acceptance of a ceasefire proposal.
“While Putin continues this terror, there should be no place for him at any negotiating table“, said the Ukrainian foreign minister.
According to him, instead of a movement towards a cessation of hostilities, there is an intensification of attacks on the civilian population in Ukraine.
Claims about the Russian economy and losses
In his statement, Sibikha claimed that the Russian economy is at least 13 times smaller than the American one and eight times smaller than the Chinese one. He also stated that the economy continues to shrink rapidly, and the living standards of the Russian population are deteriorating.
The Ukrainian minister also cited a claim about 1.6 million Russian servicemen killed and wounded in the war. According to him, the technology sector, industry and business in Russia continue to stagnate due to the pressure of sanctions.
Sibiha did not specify a new deadline for possible negotiations and did not announce an agreed meeting between the leaders of Russia, China and the United States.
Sources: bta.bg