Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba highlighted that Ukraine continues contacts with international partners, who in turn communicate indirectly with Russia, yet these efforts have not brought Ukraine any closer to real diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the war.

Speaking in an interview with the Hovoryt’ Velykyi Lviv Youtube channel, Kuleba said:

“We are nowhere near real negotiations to end the war. Some contacts exist, someone is speaking with us, but in terms of a ceasefire or ending the war, we are exactly where we were in January and last autumn.”

In the soundbites from the yet unpublished interview, Kuleba advised Ukrainians not to pay attention to various statements or leaked information concerning the negotiation process coming from either Ukrainian allies or Russia.

“You will protect your mental health better until the moment when real steps towards at least a ceasefire, and hopefully the end of the war, take place,” he said.

Obozrevatel notes that in January, Kuleba also pointed out that US President Donald Trump appeared to realize the complexity of ending Russia’s full-scale invasion. That is why Trump quickly changed his rhetoric and stopped referencing his earlier claims that he could end the war “within 24 hours.”

Former Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Valerii Chalyi, said earlier that the most realistic scenario for ending the war involves the United States adopting an alternative strategy: continuing strong support for Ukraine combined with sustained pressure on Russia.