Russia rejects "ultimatum", states the only way to resolve Ukraine conflict

Nga bác tối hậu thư, nêu cách duy nhất giải quyết xung đột Ukraine - 1 — Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Photo: Sputnik).

In an interview with AFP published on December 9, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the goals of "de-fascization" and " demilitarization " of Ukraine, as declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he began the military operation in February 2022, remain unchanged.

According to Ms. Zakharova, the events surrounding the Ukraine crisis have emphasized Russia's belief in the necessity of deploying a special military operation.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Moscow would not allow Ukraine to remain a country that poses a threat to both Russia and other countries.

Asked about the prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, Ms Zakharova said the only way to achieve “lasting peace” was to effectively meet all of Russia’s demands.

"It is necessary to affirm Ukraine's neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status, carry out demilitarization and de-fascization, recognize new territorial realities and ensure the rights of Russian-speaking citizens and ethnic minorities living in this country (Ukriane)," Ms. Zakharova stressed.

The spokeswoman also affirmed that Russia remains ready to resolve the conflict through diplomacy, stating that Moscow has never rejected this. However, for such negotiations to take place, "the Kiev government and the West" must take "practical steps and demonstrate goodwill." Ms. Zakharova added that so far, neither has shown such "political will."

"A comprehensive, sustainable and just solution to the conflict in Ukraine depends largely on addressing the causes of the conflict itself. The West must stop supplying weapons to the Ukrainian army, while Kiev must stop hostilities and withdraw its troops from Russian territories," Zakharova explained, referring to four regions in Ukraine, including Zaporizhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Lugansk, which Russia annexed after a referendum last fall.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, attempts to impose the "Korean model" on the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine are pointless.

“Attempts to impose one or another model of settlement, including the North Korean model, no matter how successful it may seem, are meaningless. What is needed here are completely different solutions and, most importantly, once again, the political will of those who have provoked this conflict and continue to do everything to ensure its constant and dangerous escalation,” Zakharova said.

Ms. Zakharova said that Russia now sees "no political will for peace, either in Kiev or in the West".

"The self-imposed ban on negotiations with the Russian authorities, introduced by (President) Volodymyr Zelensky on September 30, 2022, remains in effect. Kiev rejects the peace mediation initiatives put forward by many countries in recent months," Zakharova said.

President Zelensky signed a decree not to negotiate with the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow has repeatedly accused this decree of hindering peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and said that the conditions proposed by Kiev were "unrealistic".

“Meanwhile, the so-called peace formula proposed by the President of Ukraine in November 2022 and considered the only viable basis for a settlement, in fact has nothing to do with peace, but instead consists of a series of ultimatums to Russia, which justify further hostilities,” the spokesman stressed.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stated that peace talks will only take place when Russia withdraws all its troops from Ukrainian territory, including Crimea. In addition, Ukraine wants any peace talks to be based on President Zelensky's 10-point "peace formula."

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