Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov revealed the conditions under which Putin agreed to sit down for negotiations.
In an interview with Brazil's O Globo today, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov put forward a series of demands to end the war between Russia and Ukraine:
1. Kyiv must abandon its ambition to join NATO and remain neutral.
2. The "neo-Nazi regime" must stop destroying all things Russian in Ukraine - language, media, culture, traditions, and Orthodox Christianity.
3. Crimea, Sevastopol, and the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia must be officially recognized as part of Russian territory.
4. Ukraine must be demilitarized and denazified.
5. All sanctions against Russia must be lifted, legal claims and arrest warrants canceled, and frozen assets returned.
6. Moscow must receive "reliable security guarantees" against threats posed by NATO's hostile activities.
Comment: The reasons why Russia has put forward these demands are: first, the continuous eastward expansion of NATO is one of the important roots of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. If Ukraine joins NATO, Russia's western border will face NATO military forces, compressing its strategic buffer space to the limit. Requiring Ukraine to abandon joining NATO and remain neutral is a fundamental demand for Russia to maintain its geopolitical security, aiming to build a stable external environment for national security.
Secondly, Russia includes stopping the destruction of Russian things and denazification in the negotiation conditions to protect the interests of ethnic Russians in Ukraine, defend Russian culture, and uphold national dignity.
Thirdly, Crimea, Sevastopol, and the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia have deep historical, cultural, and economic ties with Russia, and their residents are closely connected to Russia.
Fourthly, Western sanctions have brought immense pressure on Russia's economic development, restricting its financial system, hindering international trade, and freezing assets. Demanding the lifting of sanctions and the return of frozen assets is to alleviate economic difficulties and create conditions for domestic economic recovery; canceling legal claims and arrest warrants helps Russia reshape its international image and status.
Is there any possibility of these demands being realized? Russia holds certain military advantages in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and occupies some strategic locations, providing solid support for gaining favorable conditions at the negotiating table. The military advantage gives Russia more confidence to insist on its own demands, making Ukraine and Western forces take Russia's conditions seriously.
The international community does not have a unified attitude toward the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Some countries call for resolving disputes through peaceful negotiations and oppose the West's approach of continuously sanctioning and fanning the flames against Russia. This division of international forces creates a certain external environment for Russia to promote negotiations and achieve some conditions, helping to break the West's isolation of Russia.
No matter what, Russia also faces significant obstacles. Ukraine has long regarded joining NATO as its goal and finds it difficult to easily abandon this strategic direction. At the same time, Ukraine places high importance on sovereignty and territorial integrity, strongly opposing Russia's core conditions regarding territorial sovereignty. The West, especially the EU, out of geopolitical considerations, does not wish to see Ukraine make substantial concessions to Russia in negotiations and will continue to provide military and political support to Ukraine, supporting Ukraine's continued resistance against Russia.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830646004490311/
Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author alone.