The Russian side at the talks with Ukraine agreed that the referendum is the only way out in the process of recognizing the country’s neutral status, David Arakhamia, head of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks, said during a telethon on Ukrainian television on Saturday.
“The Russian side agreed that this would be the only way out of this situation,” he said.
Answering the question what will happen if the transition to a neutral status is not supported by the people of Ukraine, Arakhamia said that “the treaty will then not have legal force, and we will either return to a state of war, perhaps, or return to new negotiations.”
“The main priority for us is the continuation of the negotiation process. The actions taken by Turkey are highly appreciated. The results of the negotiations will be analyzed. Italy is ready to act as a guarantor of Ukraine’s neutral status,” the Italian minister told reporters in Baku on Saturday.
Di Maio also noted that as a result of the sanctions against Russia, the question arose of accelerating the expansion of the energy sector. “In this context, Italy pays special attention to the development of cooperation with reliable partners with great potential, including Azerbaijan,” the Foreign Minister said.
In addition, he said that “Italy, within the framework of the energy security plan drawn up, is aimed at moving away from the Russian market.” “To this end, Rome intends to intensify work in the direction of the Mediterranean region,” the Italian Foreign Minister added.
