**Russia Blocks Peace Talks with Ukraine**
Ukraine’s former foreign minister says that Russia will not engage in peace talks unless it changes its policy of never negotiating over territories it claims as its own.
Dmytro Kuleba made this statement to Ukrainian news agency UkrInform. He explained that Russia has always refused to negotiate over areas that it considers part of its territory, even if these areas are under Ukraine’s control.
**A History of No Negotiations**
Since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, it has not negotiated with Ukraine about the return of this territory. Instead, Russia has focused on parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that were temporarily occupied by Ukrainian forces.
Kuleba said that Russia currently considers parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts as part of its constitutional domain. This means that Russia will not negotiate over these areas, even if they are under Ukraine’s control.
**A Major Obstacle to Peace**
The former foreign minister believes that this Russian policy is a major obstacle to peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. He said that it is impossible to negotiate the return of temporarily occupied territories as long as Russia refuses to budge on its territorial claims.
Kuleba acknowledged that Russia could potentially change its position, which would open up possibilities for negotiations. However, for now, this Russian policy blocks any possibility of talks over the occupied territories.
**International Support for Ukraine**
In related news, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said that several EU countries are prepared to deploy military contingents to Ukraine as part of potential security guarantees for Kyiv. This shows that international support for Ukraine remains strong despite Russia’s refusal to negotiate over occupied territories.
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