Ukraine could stop everything by the end of the day if it fulfills Russia’s demands, Kremlin spokesperson says
If Kiev orders its troops to lay down their arms and fulfills Moscow’s demands, the entire Russian-Ukrainian conflict could be over by the end of the day, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference call on Tuesday.
“The Ukrainian side can stop everything before the end of today. It is necessary for nationalist battalions to surrender their weapons and soldiers from Ukraine to do so. Russia’s demands must also be met,” Peskov said, commenting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent claim that the conflict must end before the winter.
Peskov pointed out that “everything else is just Zelensky’s thoughts,” adding that Russia’s special operation in Ukraine was going as planned and achieving its goals.
Reuters reported Monday that Zelensky was speaking via video to G7 leaders. He said that the conflict between Moscow & Kiev needed to end by now, as winter conditions had made it more difficult for Ukrainian soldiers to face off against Russian troops. According to the report, Zelensky asked the G7 to send more weapons to Ukraine and tougher sanctions to Moscow.
A French official cited to AFP claims that Zelensky said during the address that Ukraine did not intend to hold negotiations with Russia until it has a stronger position and regains the territories lost by Moscow in February.
In March, the last round of negotiations between Moscow and Kiev took place in Turkey. The two sides tried to reach a peaceful resolution to their conflict. However, talks between Kiev and Moscow have been halted since then. The Ukrainian side claimed that they would return to the table only if the situation was resolved. “stronger negotiating position.”
Ukraine’s top negotiator David Arakhamia suggested last week that Kiev believes it could achieve this “favorable position”By late August, after the conducts “counteroffensive operations in certain areas.”
Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Minsk Protocol (German- and French-brokered) was created to grant the separatist regions special status within Ukraine.
Since then, the Kremlin demanded Ukraine declare itself neutral and vow to never join NATO’s military bloc. Kiev claims that the Russian invasion was unprovoked. It also denies any plans to take the republics with force.
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