Zelensky on the ban of negotiations with Putin: I have put an end to separatism.

He made this statement during a press conference with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, as reported by “Suspilne” and “Ukrinform”.

According to him, Putin quickly began to establish numerous channels with separatists alongside representatives from other countries regarding influence over Ukraine and himself personally.

“There were many negotiation processes, many shadow negotiation corridors. I quickly put a stop to this. I simply halted separatism in our state. I prohibited anyone, any political figures in Ukraine, from conducting any negotiations with the Russian side, with Putin’s supporters during the war. This was when their troops were here, in the Kyiv region,” the president stated.

In Zelensky's opinion, this decision was entirely justified, as he is the leader of any negotiations, being the President of Ukraine.

“Putin didn’t like this, of course, because he had many channels. There are channels that everyone knows about because the relevant individuals were arrested, and then we exchanged them for our soldiers, and we also used other channels, even in some of our institutions, which I am not yet ready to discuss publicly,” the head of state added.

Ban on Negotiations with Putin

In September 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decision from the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) prohibiting negotiations with the head of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

However, in October 2024, the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, explained that the decree specifically concerned negotiations with Putin, not with any representatives of Russia.

On January 15, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sibiga, stated that the ban on negotiations with Putin still remains in effect.