Ukrainian will not Accept Ceasefire Until Russia Fully Withdraws its Troops

On May 19th, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Zelensky, said Ukraine would not accept any ceasefire offered by Russia until all Russian troops had withdrawn.
Mykhailo Podolyak, who participated in previous rounds of talks with Russia, tweeted on May 19, “Don’t ask us for a ceasefire, it will not be possible without a full Russian withdrawal.” He also said Ukraine had no interest in the “new Minsk Agreement” and the progress of the war in a few years
Several Ukrainian officials have issued similar statements in recent days. Podolyak did not specify what a “total withdrawal” would mean. But he said, “Our negotiating team is all about weapons, sanctions and money.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky once again talked about Ukraine’s terms of peace talks with Russia in his online speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, a British think tank, on May 6th. He said that peace talks between Ukraine and Russia will only take place if the Kremlin guarantees the withdrawal of Russian troops to their positions before February 23rd, and the repatriation of the thousands of Ukrainians who had been “forcibly evacuated” to Russia.
Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine have not held a physical meeting for more than a month. The last face-to-face talks were held in Turkey on March 29th.