Moscow sees no possibility of a diplomatic solution to end the war in Ukraine, a senior Russian diplomat warned, saying Russia expects a long conflict. President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine will reach the six-month mark this week.
Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva said the UN should be playing a bigger role in attempts to end the conflict and accused the United States and other NATO countries of pressing Ukraine to walk away from negotiations.
There would be no direct talks between Putin and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Gatilov said, saying he did not see any possibility for diplomatic contacts. He said the longer the conflict goes on, the more difficult it will be to have a diplomatic solution.
Gatilov’s remarks come despite a flurry of shuttle diplomacy in recent weeks and are a massive blow to negotiators who hoped a recent agreement on grain exports could form the basis for a broader deal.
Gatilov accused the United Nations of becoming mired in politicization because of the war which has damaged the authority of the U.N. and its organizations. As a result, it is unable to act effectively as a mediator, he complained.
The failure to restart peace talks, combined with continued western military support for Ukraine, meant it was impossible to forecast how long the conflict could last, Gatilov said.
Gatilov issued a stark warning, saying Kyiv and its western supporters “will fight until the last Ukrainian.”
Ukraine’s defense has been boosted by more than $30 billion worth of weapons supplies pledged by the United States, United Kingdom, and other NATO allies.
At the beginning of this month, the first grain ship to depart Ukraine since Russia invaded cleared to leave Turkish waters for its destination in Lebanon. Negotiators had hoped the Black Sea grain export deal would mean more successful negotiations would be on the horizon and end the conflict.
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