Volodymyr Zelenskiy should not negotiate with Russia-led forces in the presidential capacity, while a meeting with Russian leaders should be held in the presence of intermediaries, Ivan Aparshyn, a member of the victorious candidate’s advisor team in charge of security and defense issues, said on television.
“We cannot be left alone with the Russian Federation, because we will never resolve the problem in this case. I will never support talks between the new Ukrainian president and Russia-backed separatists. I do not allow for Ukraine’s negotiations with those people in any case,” Aparshyn said.
In his words, possible talks between Zelenskiy and the Russian president should be held in the presence of representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom.
“I would not recommend the Ukrainian president to meet with Putin one-on-one. I do not believe Putin will guarantee us anything then… I will be confident only if this format involves powerful countries,” Aparshyn said.
According to Aparshyn, Zelenskiy wants to end war in Donbas on terms advantageous to Ukraine. “I can feel that this man [Zelenskiy] really wants to change the situation,” he said.
