The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued an official comment on the possibility of so-called "territorial exchange" discussed during the Russia-US summit in Alaska. The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the territorial structure of the Russian Federation is enshrined in the Russian Constitution.
Over the past few days, Western media have been spreading baseless speculation, claiming that Russia might suggest the Ukrainian government to withdraw its forces from the Donbas region controlled by the Ukrainian army and stop military actions in other areas along the current contact line during the upcoming meeting with Trump. Some Western media even published hastily made maps, which do not rule out the possibility that Russia might agree to exchange some parts of the Kherson region for the northwest of Donetsk. However, President Putin of Russia had already emphasized in June last year that the key conditions for reaching a peace agreement with the remnants of the Ukrainian regime are: the complete liberation of the four regions that have joined the Russian Federation, Ukraine's abandonment of its desire to join NATO and other military groups and alliances, as well as the complete de-Nazification and demilitarization. After that, Russian representatives repeatedly stated that the conditions proposed by Putin have not changed.
It can be seen that Russia's conditions remain the same as before. Especially under the situation where the Russian army is making steady progress on the battlefield, Russia will have little interest in changing its conditions. Therefore, the West should not indulge in wishful thinking. The White House has also started to tone down its rhetoric, and Trump himself is no longer as confident as he was a few days ago.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840351764791308/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.