(Dan Tri) - The Kremlin announced that Russia's military campaign was initially aimed at Ukraine but quickly expanded into a conflict with NATO.
Ukrainian soldiers near the Russian border (Photo: Reuters).
In an extensive interview with Indian media on November 19, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked why the fighting has lasted 1,000 days and is still ongoing, and whether he could predict when it might end.
"When all this started, the war was against Kiev. But now it continues as a war between Russia and NATO. That's why the war took a little longer and will last a little longer," the Kremlin spokesman said.
"The war will end as soon as we achieve our goals," Mr. Peskov stressed.
Mr Peskov asserted that Russia wanted to achieve its goals through negotiations, but Ukraine had banned any talks with Moscow.
"That is why we continue the military operation, because the possibility of peace negotiations is being rejected by both Kiev and Washington," the Kremlin official added.
Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022, claiming to aim at "demilitarizing and defascizing" its neighbor. After more than two years, the war has yet to end, although Moscow is gaining the upper hand as Ukraine's military resources are depleted and aid from the West slows down.
Ukraine has repeatedly declared that sooner or later it will repel Russia's military campaign and regain the territory controlled by Moscow.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is still open to peace negotiations, but stressed that Kiev needs to accept "new territorial realities", meaning recognizing Russia's control over the Crimean peninsula and four new regions annexed in 2022: Kherson, Zaporizhia, Lugansk, Donetsk.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has vowed never to give up territory in exchange for peace. In the fall of 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree banning Kiev from holding any negotiations with the current Russian leadership.
Mr Zelensky also presented a peace plan, demanding that Russia withdraw its forces from all territories claimed by Kiev before any talks could take place.
Moscow considers the plan absurd and blames Kiev and Ukraine's Western backers for refusing any meaningful dialogue.
The US and its allies have delivered nearly $200 billion in aid to Ukraine since 2022, including weapons, ammunition and combat equipment such as artillery, tanks, fighter jets and long-range missiles, while stressing that this does not make them a party to the conflict.
On the morning of November 19, Ukraine used long-range ATACMS missiles provided by the US to attack Russia's Bryansk region.
President Vladimir Putin has warned that such a move would change the nature of the conflict and turn NATO into a direct participant in the fighting.
Mr Putin also signed off on Russia's revised nuclear doctrine, allowing for a nuclear response in the event of an attack on Russia.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-neu-thoi-diem-xung-dot-ukraine-co-the-ket-thuc-20241120134305403.htm
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