Russia insists on acknowledging the annexation of Crimea and other Ukrainian territories in any negotiations aimed at achieving peace.
Rethinkin' the Peace Deal, Russian Style 🔥
Itching for some international recognition, ole' Russia won't budge on its demands for Crimea, plus the entirety of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, as a prerequisite for kicking off peace talks, as stated by none other than Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a sit-down with the Brazilian news outlet O Globo.
Last week, Kremlin spokester Dmitry Peskov slammed the hammer on it, reinforcing the message with orbital precision. This pushy stance, in defiance of the U.S. attempts to broker a peace deal, shows Russia ain't playing around.
IGNORING the illegality of their moves, Russia went and declared those Ukrainian oblasts annexed back in 2022, after staging widely-condemned sham referendums 🗳️. Despite controlling Crimea since 2014 and partially administering some of the other territories, Russia's grip on them is far from firm.
The Yanks are said to be considerin' the de jure recognition of Putin's control over Crimea, as part of a potential peace deal and de facto control over the other occupied regions 😮. But, they reportedly rejected Moscow's demand for a complete withdrawal from the other regions.
When asked about the conditions for entering peace talks, Lavrov listed a few: a ban on Ukraine's entry into NATO, the country's demilitarization, changes to Ukraine's legislation for the Russian language, culture, and religious organizations, and a lift on the ban on direct negotiations with Putin.
These demands are effectively the same as Moscow's initial demands at the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine 🇷🇺. Lavrov also complained about Kyiv's lack of "political will for peace," while hinting at the foreign policy shift brought about by President Trump.
Ukraine ain't budgin' on ceding its territory as part of any peace agreement, with both them and their allies rejectin' demands for a reduction in the size of the Ukrainian military 🛡️. Lavrov insisted that all Ukrainian commitments must be legally guaranteed, have enforcement mechanisms, and be permanent, and he wants the lifting of Western sanctions, abolition of international lawsuits and arrest warrants against Russian officials, and the return of frozen Russian assets.
Guess who's been usin' some of those assets to support Ukraine? Western gov'ts have, with the G7 approvlin' nearly $50 billion in loans for Kyiv in October 2024, to be paid back using interest from the frozen Russian funds 💰.
Lavrov also said Russia would demand "reliable security guarantees" from NATO, the EU, and their member states against supposed future threats on Russia's western borders.
Claimin' to support de-escalation, Russia's continued offensive operations along the front lines and relentless attacks on civilian infrastructure prove otherwise. Since the U.S-proposed 30-day ceasefire was accepted by Ukraine, Russia's rejected the plan, demanded a complete halt to Western military aid to Ukraine, and has breached the energy truce more than 30 times 💣.
As the ball keeps bouncin' back and forth, both sides gotta come to a mutual agreement and stop this mess before it gets worse. Time's a-ticking, people! ❌🕒
- In defiance of the U.S efforts to broker a peace deal, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insists on Crimea and Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts as a precondition for peace talks.
- Despite Russia's grip on Crimea since 2014 and partial control of other territories, the mechanisms ensuring its firm hold are far from satisfactory.
- Moscow's demands for a peace deal in the war-and-conflicts-ridden region include a ban on Ukraine's entry into NATO, demilitarization, changes to Ukrainian legislation, and the lifting of sanctions, which are contradicting to the general news of the time.
- Western governments have been using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine financially, making it difficult for Russia to negotiate terms for reliable security guarantees in its peace deal discussions.
