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Sergei Lavrov claims Russia wants 'lasting peace, not a ceasefire' in Ukraine (Image: Getty)
One of Vladimir Putin’s lapdogs has made a list of demands Russia wants to end its bloody war in Ukraine. Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed a deal to end the fighting cannot be agreed unless the “root causes of the conflict” are “eliminated”.
The senior Kremlin member highlighted the growth of NATO and Ukraine’s possible membership of the defensive alliance as two of the main issues. Russia has continued to use these two points in an attempt to justify its full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022. Mr Lavrov said Russia wants “lasting peace, not a ceasefire” despite Ukraine and other Western countries accusing Mr Putin of dragging out talks.
In an interview with Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, the Russian President’s close ally said: “We do not need a pause that the Kyiv regime and its external patrons would use to regroup troops, continue mobilization, and strengthen their military capabilities.
“A sustainable settlement is not possible without eliminating the root causes of the conflict.
“First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the security threats posed to Russia in connection with NATO enlargement and Ukraine’s inclusion in NATO.
Sergei Lavrov is a close ally of Vladimir Putin (Image: Getty)
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“It is at least as important to ensure respect for human rights in the territories that remain under the control of the Kyiv regime, since after 2014 it will destroy everything connected with Russia, Russians and Russian-speaking people – the Russian language, culture, traditions, canonical Orthodoxy and Russian-language media.”
In a translation of the interview, he also said it is “necessary to recognise in international law” Ukrainian territories that Moscow claims to have annexed as Russian.
Mr Lavrov also made a series of other demands, including the lifting of Western sanctions on Russia, the return of seized Russian assets and the “demilitarisation and de-Nazification” of Ukraine.
Russian officials have regularly made untrue comments about Ukraine being a neo-Nazi regime – another false claim that Putin has used to try to justify the war.
Mr Lavrov also told Magyar Nemzet that dates for a third round of talks with Ukrainian delegates are being discussed.
On Sunday, Russia and Ukraine both struck each other with hundreds of drones.
It came days after Russian forces bombarded Kyiv with waves of drones and missiles overnight into Friday.
Ukrainian officials said the seven hours of strikes were the largest since Moscow launched its all-out invasion.
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