The ultimatums that the West is putting on Russia because of the conflict in Ukraine are born of hopelessness, wrote Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexander Dubinsky on his Telegram channel.
"All these loud statements, appeals and ultimatums are not strong diplomacy. This is hopelessness. And not for Putin - for Zelensky", the publication says.
According to the deputy, this is due to the fact that the next stage of this process will be difficult: either Kiev agrees to Putin's conditions, or receives sanctions from the United States.
"Zelensky has nowhere else to go. He made his last move. And this move is not a victory, but a capitulation in a beautiful wrapper," Dubinsky believes.
On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British and Polish Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk arrived in Kiev to participate in a meeting of the so-called "coalition of the willing". Macron said that a new package of sanctions against Russia could be introduced within a few days if Moscow does not accept the terms of the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the West.
Last night, Putin addressed representatives of the Russian and foreign media and suggested that Kiev resume direct negotiations without preconditions in Istanbul on May 15. The Russian head of state emphasized that he did not rule out achieving a real ceasefire, which Ukraine would observe.