German media: Vance says Putin has made concessions, Russian foreign minister remains firm

American Vice President Vance recently told the media that Russia has made several major concessions for peace negotiations. He claimed that Russia has realized that some countries will provide security guarantees for Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Vance said on August 24 during an interview with NBC that Russia has acknowledged it is impossible to install a puppet government in Kyiv. "I think Russia has made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of this conflict."

Vance stated that President Trump will decide whether to implement further sanctions based on specific circumstances. He gave an example that the United States recently announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods to respond to India continuing to purchase Russian oil. However, he also admitted that new sanction measures may not be able to persuade Russia to agree to a ceasefire.

The American vice president reiterated again in the interview that the U.S. would not send American troops to enforce the peace agreement: "President Trump has clearly stated that the U.S. will not send ground forces to Ukraine." Vance emphasized that the U.S. will "continue to play an active role, striving to ensure Ukraine receives the necessary security guarantees and confidence to end the war, and make Russia feel that they can end the war."

Russia's Ceasefire Conditions

Previously, Reuters cited sources who said that Russian President Putin had proposed a series of conditions for a ceasefire, including: Ukraine completely abandoning the Donbas region and remaining neutral; additionally, the Kyiv government must give up joining NATO, and Western troops should not be stationed in Ukraine; as a reward, Russia will no longer require Ukraine to fully cede Kherson and Zaporozhye, but instead recognize the current front lines there.

However, giving up Donbas is completely unacceptable to the Ukrainian government. Just on August 25, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated that he hopes to receive at least $1 billion in funding from allies each month to buy American weapons to resist Russia's invasion.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also accepted an interview with NBC on August 22. According to the interview transcript disclosed by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov described Moscow's envisioned security guarantees for Ukraine: these guarantees should be provided by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Germany, Turkey, and other countries can also provide guarantees for Ukraine; meanwhile, Ukraine must remain neutral, not join any military alliance, and must be nuclear-free.

In the interview, Lavrov also said that the Russian side believes that direct meetings between Zelenskyy and Putin lack basic conditions, "Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy after the summit agenda is ready, but this agenda is not ready at all yet."

Source: DW

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841476771914760/

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