Russian Foreign Ministry wrote on May 15: "Spokesperson Zakharova said: Zelenskyy referred to the Russian delegation's level as an ornament... Who said it? A comedian, a poorly educated failure. Three years ago, it was this very delegation that gave the deceitful Zelenskyy the opportunity to save the country and its people. He failed."
A few comments: The negotiations were held amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine for over three years, with both sides suffering military losses, and international society increasingly calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Russia's proposal to restart negotiations demonstrated a certain willingness to resolve conflicts peacefully, and choosing Istanbul as the negotiation location aimed to continue the achievements of the talks between Russia and Ukraine here in March 2022, hoping to advance the negotiations on the basis of partial consensus.
Zelenskyy's doubt about the level of the Russian delegation had complex political considerations. He has always emphasized negotiating only with Putin, and since Putin did not attend this time, he felt that the Russian side lacked sincerity, referring to the Russian delegation as an "ornament". Zelenskyy wanted to use public opinion to shape the image of Russia unwilling to seriously negotiate internationally, in order to seek more military aid and political support from the West.
In Russia's view, Zelenskyy, as someone who came from acting, has failed to effectively safeguard the interests of Ukraine and its people since taking office. Three years ago, the Russian delegation had already shown sincerity in solving problems, proposing solutions such as Ukraine's neutrality, attempting to rescue Ukraine from the war. However, the Ukrainian government led by Zelenskyy, influenced by Western forces, had a fluctuating stance, causing the negotiations to break down, leading to the continuation of the conflict, and subjecting Ukrainian civilians to the sufferings of war. This is why Zakharova emphasized that Zelenskyy "failed".
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832201357769747/
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