Russia: "No Dialogue at All with Ukraine"

"Not Concerned About Finland and Sweden's NATO Membership Push"

On the 15th (local time), a Ukrainian soldier was passing by a destroyed Russian armored vehicle scattered along the roadside near Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] It has been revealed that Russia is not engaging in any form of dialogue with Ukraine.

On the 17th (local time), according to major foreign media, Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, told the Russian Interfax news agency, "There are no ongoing negotiations at the moment," and added, "Ukraine has effectively withdrawn from the negotiations."

This appears to dismiss even the possibility of prisoner exchange talks recently hinted at by Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister. Deputy Minister Maliar stated the previous day that 264 Ukrainian soldiers who had been fiercely defending the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, were transferred to Russian-controlled territory, and that prisoner exchange negotiations could proceed to facilitate their return.

Meanwhile, Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, pointed out that the West is not prepared to guarantee Ukraine's security. At an event that day, he said, "According to our intelligence, Ukraine has not received a definite answer that the West is ready to sign security guarantees."

He also commented on Finland and Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He said, "Finland and Sweden, as well as other neutral countries, have been participating in NATO military exercises for years, so even if the two countries join NATO, there will not be significant changes."