Russia is waiting for Ukraine to accept the demands put forward for peace talks. This was announced on Thursday, May 26, by the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the proposal of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
“Moscow is waiting for Kyiv to accept Moscow’s demands and realize the de facto situation, the real situation that exists,” Peskov said.
At the same time, Peskov stressed that these are not territorial concessions.
Earlier, on May 24, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger urged the West to abandon attempts to achieve a military defeat of Russia, and outlined the need to persuade Kyiv to return to negotiations.
At the same time, Kissinger predicted fatal consequences for the West if Russia’s place in the European alignment of forces is ignored. According to the 98-year-old diplomat, hostilities should be stopped as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will bring catastrophic consequences to Europe.
Kissinger also said that the achievement of the neutral status of Ukraine and its formation as a bridge between Russia and Europe would be the ideal result of resolving the situation that has developed around the country.
On May 22, Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian leader, said that Kyiv ruled out the possibility of a ceasefire agreement with Russia.
On May 13, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv would never recognize the autonomy of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, as well as the Russian ownership of Crimea. He suggested leaving the issue if it interfered with the negotiation process.
On February 24, Russia launched a special operation to protect Donbass. A few days earlier, the situation in the region escalated significantly due to shelling by the Ukrainian military. The authorities of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics announced the evacuation of residents to the Russian Federation, and also turned to Moscow for help. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the DNR and LNR.