Russia demands west recognize annexed Ukraine territories
Russia's position on the "settlement" of the conflict in Ukraine has not changed, stated Sergey Lavrov in a press interview. According to the Russian Foreign Minister, it is "imperative" that the international community recognizes Crimea and the other territories of Ukraine controlled by Russia as Russian.
Many of the reports provided by Russian media are likely not true. Such reports could be part of an information war by the Russian Federation.
What do you need to know?
- Russia demands the recognition of Crimea and the occupied regions as its territory.
- Russia wants Ukraine excluded from NATO. Lavrov reiterated the demand that Ukraine should not join NATO, describing the government in Kyiv as a "neo-Nazi regime."
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov conveyed that Russia is ready for talks with Ukraine, with the condition of recognizing the annexed regions of Ukraine.
It is "imperative" that the international community recognizes that Crimea, Sevastopol, the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia (part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region occupied by Russia) belong to Russia," Lavrov stated in an interview with the Brazilian newspaper "O Globo." A translation of the interview was published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website on Monday.
Russia sets conditions
Lavrov also reiterated the demand that Ukraine should not join NATO, describing the government in Kyiv as a "neo-Nazi regime." Russia also demands "overcoming the effects" of pro-European forces taking power in Ukraine in 2014. The Russian minister repeated false claims about the supposed destruction of the Russian language and culture in Ukraine.
The minister reportedly stated in the interview that Russia wants these "commitments" to be indefinite and "enshrined in law." "On the agenda is the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, lifting sanctions against Russia, court lawsuits, and arrest warrants, and returning the frozen Russian assets in the West," Lavrov announced, repeating the phrases Russia used to justify its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kremlin spokesman on "readiness" for negotiations
Lavrov emphasized that Russia will seek strong security guarantees "in relation to threats created by the hostile activities of NATO, the European Union, and individual member states on the western borders."
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured of Russia's readiness for direct negotiations with Ukraine "without preconditions," but stressed that "the signal of readiness for direct talks should come from Kyiv."
