Sergey Lavrov voiced demands to Ukraine to start peace talks

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov voiced the Kremlin’s conditions for a possible truce with Ukraine. According to him, Moscow is ready for negotiations on the basis of the so-called Istanbul principles, which, he claims, were agreed, but later “rejected” with the participation of the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Ukrainian delegation led by David Arahamia.
“The key principle is the non-aligned status of Ukraine… No NATO. No military bases, military exercises on Ukrainian soil with the participation of foreign troops,” – Lavrov stated.
He also noted that Russia was allegedly ready to become part of a group of countries that would provide collective security guarantees for Ukraine. However, he emphasized that Kyiv should “recognize the realities on the ground”, in particular the “incorporation into Russia” of the occupied territories of the four regions.
Among other demands of the Kremlin, which Lavrov voiced, is the public cancellation by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, of the decree banning negotiations with Putin. Standard Kremlin theses were repeated about the need for Ukraine to abandon “Russophobic policy” and stated that laws restricting the use of the Russian language, culture, Russian media and the activities of the UOC are “unacceptable”.