Kremlin lays out sweeping demands for a 'lasting peace' with Ukraine
Photo: Dmitry Medvedev (Getty Images)
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, in his interview with Iran’s state broadcaster, has outlined demands that Ukraine would have to accept to achieve what he called a “lasting peace.” They include a non-nuclear status, recognition of occupied territories as Russian, and more.
According to Medvedev, the conditions for a “lasting political settlement” are well known. He said there are three of them, with the first two concerning Ukraine’s non-nuclear status and the Russian language.
“I will list them again for the Iranian audience. First and foremost, this is the neutral, non-nuclear, independent status of the state of Ukraine... Second, the abandonment of the nationalist course of the current regime in Ukraine and condemnation of the practice of banning the Russian language, banning Russian altogether, Russian as one of the conditions for such a settlement,” the Russian Security Council deputy chairman said.
The third demand, he said, concerns territory — specifically, the transfer of territories that Russia has “incorporated” into its constitution.
Based on this, the demand apparently concerns not only Donbas but also the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Otherwise, Medvedev threatened that Russia would seek to achieve this through military means.
“Third, this is the transfer to Russian jurisdiction of what is established in the Russian Constitution. Namely, the territories in Donbas and some other new regions. That is, the restoration of Russian sovereignty. If this does not happen, we will do it militarily,” he concluded.
What else you need to know
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that US attempts to find a compromise with Russia are only wasting time. He argued that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would use any changes to put forward new demands and pressure Washington.
We also reported that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said there are currently four proposals for a Black Sea and energy ceasefire. He added that Ukraine is ready to consider them.
