Kyiv on 9 May 2022: visitors, terms and stalled talks
A look back at the diplomatic signals around Ukraine in the days leading up to 9 May 2022.
What did diplomacy around Ukraine look like on 9 May 2022? The picture, assembled from reports of the preceding days, was one of visits, conditions and mutual declarations of readiness to talk, while the invasion continued.
On 8 May 2022, a day before the covered date, Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, made an unannounced visit to Kyiv. He was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly. They met President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
Terms for talks
Two days earlier, on 6 May 2022, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was open to continuing peace talks with Russia, but only on conditions. These were the restoration of preinvasion borders, the return of Ukrainians who had been forcefully evacuated to Russia, and the withdrawal of Russian troops from the country.
On 3 May 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia was ready to continue peace negotiations with Ukraine. That came amid fears that talks between the two countries had stalled.
Sanctions and countermeasures
The same day, Putin signed a decree allowing the Russian government to terminate business and exports with entities and people it deemed "unfriendly".
Taken together, the reports show both sides stating a willingness to negotiate while the terms each described remained distinct, and allied leaders travelling to Kyiv in person.
