Zelensky’s team will not negotiate with DPR and LPR in the event of victory
The spokesperson for the Ukrainian presidential candidate, Volodymyr Zelensky, Dmitry Razumkov, in an interview with the BBC, announced that Zelensky’s team is not going to negotiate with the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in the event of his victory in the presidential elections in Ukraine.
“We, of course, do not conduct such negotiations. Negotiations should be held, and pressure should be placed on those who can make decisions. The so-called DPR and LPR administrations are not subjects but only objects of the negotiation process. After all, all key decisions are made in the Russian Federation. These talking heads, who come to Minsk, voice some abstracts but have no influence on decision-making. Therefore, negotiations with them are, to put it mildly, ineffective,” said Razumkov.
Razumkov said that the DPR and LPR are terrorist organizations, and “there is an international practice regarding this issue.”
He also expressed doubts about the effectiveness of Viktor Medvedchuk’s role in the negotiation process. Razumkov added that Zelensky’s team did not conduct any negotiations with him regarding cooperation.
On April 8, the Press Secretary for the President of Russia, Dmitry Peskov, stated that in case of Zelensky’s victory, the Kremlin is ready for a dialogue, but he would also have to negotiate with the DPR and LPR. "This is an internal Ukrainian conflict and Ukrainians should solve it themselves," he said.