At the UN Security Council, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative explained why Russia is bluffing and disrupting the peace process 03/24/2026 01:56 Ukrinform Russia has not achieved any strategic objectives in the war against Ukraine and is trying to disrupt negotiations by making unrealistic demands. This was stated by the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, at a meeting of the Security Council, as reported by Ukrinform’s own correspondent in New York. The diplomat emphasized that Russia is trying to create a false impression of the situation at the front. “What we are witnessing is a carefully staged performance that Russia continues to put on,” he said. On the one hand, the situation for the Kremlin on the battlefield is deteriorating, and on the other hand, Moscow continues to create an illusion of its invincibility and demonstrate as if it is on the verge of complete victory and the capitulation of Ukraine. According to the permanent representative, Putin’s negotiation position is based on bluffing and lies. The bluff is that Russia will supposedly win against Ukraine anyway, and the lie is that Putin will supposedly settle for less than Ukraine’s actual capitulation. Russia has failed to achieve any of the goals set for the full-scale invasion, Melnyk stated, noting: “We are dealing with the longest three-day blitzkrieg in human history, which has been ongoing for over four years.” The Russian troops, calling themselves the second army in the world, took three and a half years to occupy only 9,300 square kilometers. At the current pace, Russia will need 183 years to occupy the entire territory of Ukraine, the diplomat clarified. “That is why Putin is demanding that Ukraine surrender territories without a fight, which Russia has failed to occupy over more than 12 years of aggression,” he added. “By turning such ultimatums into negotiation conditions, Russia deliberately blocks the peace process.” In particular, Moscow is simultaneously demanding elections in Ukraine and refusing to agree to a ceasefire, which is necessary for the electoral process. Melnyk also said that the Ukrainian military has managed to change the situation at the front: “In February alone, the Ukrainian army liberated territory comparable in size to the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn (in New York, – ed.)”. At the same time, Russia is facing serious economic problems. “Zero growth, lack of reserves, and a growing budget deficit are increasingly complicating Russia’s financing of the war against Ukraine,” the diplomat noted. He stressed that “despite all of Russia’s tricks and abuses of diplomacy to prolong the conflict, aimed at reducing international support for Kyiv, we remain fully committed to restoring peace.” Ukraine has never been and will not be an obstacle to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace. “We will spare no effort to continue negotiations under the leadership of the United States to achieve this goal,” said Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN. As Ukrinform reported, Melnyk rejected the accusations from Russian Permanent Representative Nebenzia regarding the alleged harm Ukraine causes to the civilian population of the Russian Federation. Photos from Ukrinform can be purchased here War Melnyk UN Security Council War with Russia Negotiations with the Russian Federation Peace Negotiations
Источник: www.ukrinform.ua