‘West has no reason to fear Russia’ – Ukraine’s lead negotiator speaks out

There can be no breakthrough in peace talks until Russia stops firing on civilians trying to flee through humanitarian corridors, Ukraine’s chief negotiator has warned in an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph.

Speaking from a bunker in the heavily fortified presidential office in Kyiv, Mikhail Podolyak accused Russia of “manipulating” the talks and going back on its word. “Ukraine needs clear guarantees of its security but, so far, we see the Russian side is not fulfilling even elementary agreements on humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from the encircled cities,” he said. “Civilians are simply being destroyed with Russian weapons.”

He reiterated calls for Nato to impose a no-fly zone, and poured scorn on the idea it could set off a world war. “Do you really believe that Russia is ready to confront Nato,” he asked. “Look at what is happening to them in Ukraine. Nato is many times stronger than our armed forces and yet Ukraine has held back a full-scale offensive by one of the world’s largest armies for a second week. Do you really think Russia has the potential for World War Three? Stop this selfhypnosis.”

As one of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest aides, Mr Podolyak has led three rounds of talks with the Russians since the invasion began but holds out little hope of a breakthrough.

“Of course we want peace. But this does not mean that we will agree to the dismantling of our freedom and our democracy, our natural European aspirations. If Russia takes a position based on reality, not on unrealistic ambitions, then progress is possible.

“So far, we’ve seen that the Russian side does not ensure the fulfilment of things that are promised,” he said. “Russian troops shoot people when they try to leave the occupied cities.

“Russian troops are shelling routes along which an exit of people could be organised, particularly in Mariupol and Volnovakha. So I have to state that the Russian side manipulates these rounds more than it actually invests in the negotiations.”

On Monday, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said the war could end “immediately” if Ukraine agrees to cede Crimea to Russia, recognise Donetsk and Luhansk as independent and commit to not joining Nato or the EU.

Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s lead negotiator, has claimed progress, but Mr Podolyak is sceptical. “Negotiations are not a date to get to know each other and look for something in common,” he said. “Contact is a false goal ... you need to be result-oriented.” He was unimpressed by comments from Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, that Russia would stop the war “now” if Ukraine complied with its demands.

“During the nearly two weeks of the war, we have already heard a lot of different statements from Moscow. Are Peskov’s words the final position? Or is the position going to change again?” he said. “This can only be found out in the course of negotiations.

“On Sunday, in Irpen, a city on the outskirts of Kyiv, Russian troops opened fire on civilians who were trying to get out of the city,” he said. “A total of eight people died, including a family with two children. This insane invasion does not stop, the killing does not stop.”

Mr Podolyak repeated the call for a Nato no-fly zone over Ukraine. “Over 200 schools have already been destroyed,” he said. “Thousands of houses. Hundreds of businesses. A significant part of them destroyed from the air, by missiles and combat aircraft. If the Russian troops did not have such support from the air, they would not have been able to wreak such havoc.

“If the West is afraid to create a humanitarian no-fly zone, then there must be a decision to transfer combat aircraft to us,” he said. “We are, of course, very grateful to our partners for the sanctions but the ongoing massacres of civilians show existing sanctions are not enough,” he said.

“You have to understand Russia is actually a very poor country. With the exception of some large cities and a rather small segment of people who benefit from the flow of oil and gas dollars, most Russian citizens live a very difficult, hopeless and poor life,” he said. “They will feel the pain of the rise in prices and loss of opportunities but this is not new – they’ve always been made to live like that,” he said.

Mr Podolyak refused to be drawn on the death of a fellow Ukrainian negotiator, Denis Kireev. Russian reports claimed he was killed while being arrested for treason but Mr Podolyak dismissed that. “This man died performing a task in the interests of the Ukrainian state,” he said.

Despite his pessimism about talks, Mr Podolyak remained defiant.

“Most of our cities that Russia planned to capture are fighting bravely. In cities that are temporarily occupied, there are mass protests ... this is real civic heroism: people coming out with a national flag against armed invaders and demanding that they get out of our country,” he said. “Ukraine will not give up its freedom and will not give up its democracy.

“We are aware of our responsibility. And we will fight the occupation. We only wish that Western countries were not afraid to fight with us.”