President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is dragging out negotiations on a special operation of the Russian Federation with the help of empty promises about the fulfillment of the set conditions. This statement was made by the speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin. He noted that Zelensky should withdraw troops from the Donbass, as well as fix obligations on Crimea.

“He wants to buy time while simultaneously turning to NATO for military assistance,” Volodin wrote on his telegram channel. He drew parallels between Zelensky’s statement about Ukraine’s readiness to discuss the issue of refusal to join NATO and the status of Crimea and the subsequent staging in Bucha.

According to Volodin, Zelensky must immediately withdraw troops from the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as document the recognition of Crimea and the non-bloc status of Ukraine. This is the only way the president can show concern for the citizens of Ukraine, the speaker believes.

The special operation of the Russian Federation to demilitarize Ukraine began on the morning of February 24. Since then, both sides have held a series of negotiations, but all of them were unsuccessful. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the talks had stalled because Kiev had moved away from the agreements reached in Istanbul. Members of the negotiating group from Ukraine have previously admitted that they coordinate their every step in negotiations with Western partners.