The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov in his interview Newsweek outlined the Kremlin’s terms for ending the war, saying Russia was willing to cease hostilities in exchange for several demands. In particular, it is about the lifting of all sanctions against Russia, the recognition of the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over the occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, as well as the consolidation of the non-aligned and non-nuclear status of Ukraine.
Lavrov also mentioned the need for the so-called “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine, which is one of the Kremlin’s key demands. According to him, Ukraine should completely withdraw its troops from the specified territories in order for the war to end.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation expressed indignation that Ukraine does not agree to these conditions, noting that, instead, Kyiv launched an attack on the Kursk region on August 6. Lavrov also accused Western countries, particularly the United States and NATO, of seeking to achieve a strategic defeat for Russia, which, he said, left Russia with no choice but to continue the so-called “special operation.”
He also recalled previous attempts to reach agreements, referring to the Minsk agreements and negotiations in Istanbul in March 2022, which, according to him, Kyiv did not fulfill.
