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Yatsenyuk: Putin has brought back a ‘no-name’ to the negotiating team – Russia does not want real peace talks
13.02.26

Putin has changed the members of his negotiating team, bringing back Medinsky – a clear sign that Russia has no intention of conducting real peace talks. This was emphasised by the Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum, Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2014-2016, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, on BBC News on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

‘Suspected war criminal Putin has just changed his entire so-called negotiating team. He has made an about-face, and reappointed a complete no-name Medinsky. For me, this is a clear sign that Russia is not eager to negotiate in any kind of good faith,’ remarked the Chairman of the KSF.

Responding to a question about security guarantees for Ukraine, Yatsenyuk stressed that first and foremost, it is necessary to ‘start with how to stop the war and how to bring Russia to real peace talks.’

The KSF Chairman also responded to a journalist’s question about a possible territorial concession, calling it a Russian trap. ‘If the Ukrainian authorities decided to cede territory, which is completely unconstitutional, Russia would ramp up its demands: no NATO, no Ukrainian army. So Russia will stick to its maximalist demands,’ Yatsenyuk stressed.

According to the Chairman of the KSF, the only way to peace is to exert maximum pressure on Russia.

‘Unless we turn the screw on Russia, unless we exert an enormous pressure on Russia, unless Putin realises that this war of attrition is a kind of death panel for him. This is the only way to bring this war to an end,’ the former prime minister stressed.

At the same time, he expressed optimism about Europe's ability to support Ukraine. ‘Look at the data for 2025. Europeans actually offset an entire U.S. support to Ukraine, both militarily and financially. The UK Ministry of Defence just announced a huge support package for Ukraine, around £500 million, which is of real essence for Ukraine,’ Yatsenyuk stressed.

The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) is taking place on 13-15 February. It is an influential international forum on global security and defence policy, bringing together more than 450 world leaders. On February 14, the Munich Conference will host the first joint event of the Kyiv Security Forum and the MSC – a round table discussion entitled ‘Energy Warfare: How to Unplug Tyranny.’

The Kyiv Security Forum was founded in 2007 on the initiative of Arseniy Yatsenyuk and is the leading international discussion platform in Ukraine on issues of war and peace.

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