‘Russia will not negotiate with Ukraine as long as the Ukrainian Armed Forces hold part of the Kursk region’, – Shoigu

Russia has once again stated that it will not engage in negotiations with Ukraine while Ukrainian forces hold parts of the Kursk region. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu claimed that during Ukraine’s offensive, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) aimed to capture the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, which he described as “nuclear terrorism.”

In light of this, Shoigu declared that Russia “does not negotiate with terrorists.” He also alleged that Ukraine refused to reach agreements with Russia prior to the offensive in the Kursk region, specifically regarding a non-aggression pact on energy infrastructure.

According to Shoigu, President Vladimir Putin had agreed to a proposal from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan not to strike energy facilities, including nuclear plants, or commercial and civilian fleets in the Black Sea.

“After some time, they [Ukrainian representatives] said: ‘No, we will not agree to this deal.’ And when the Kursk incident happened, it became clear what they meant by nuclear energy facilities,” Shoigu stated.

It is worth noting that earlier, The Washington Post reported on the preparation of such a deal. According to the publication, the talks were mediated by Qatar, but the operation in Kursk derailed them.

The topic of negotiations resurfaced yesterday after media coverage of the “Scholz Plan,” which reportedly proposed Ukraine ceding part of its territory.