It occurs just a few days after Sergei Lavrov appeared to rule out the possibility of immediate peace talks in the 10-month-old crisis.
As a basis for negotiations, the Russian foreign ministry has rejected Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “peace formula.”
According to a report from the Russian news agency RIA, Sergei Lavrov feels that Ukraine is not yet prepared for serious peace talks.
Mr. Lavrov also told RIA that the Ukrainian objective of forcing Russia out of eastern Ukraine and Crimea with Western assistance was “a delusion.”
It comes only a few days after Mr. Lavrov appeared to rule out the possibility of immediate peace talks in the 10-month-old conflict.
“Our recommendations for the demilitarisation and denazification of the regions controlled by the [Ukrainian] regime, the eradication of dangers to Russia’s security originating from there, including our new lands, are well known to the adversary,” Putin told the Tass news agency late Monday night.
“The point is straightforward: Obey them for your good. Otherwise, the Russian army will determine the matter.”
However, his remarks came just hours after Russia’s president Vladimir Putin said he wanted to negotiate “acceptable solutions with everyone involved” and blamed Kyiv and the West for the lack of progress thus far.
Mykhailo Podolyak, the assistant to President Zelenskyy, responded angrily to Mr. Putin’s remark by stating that the Russian leader “has to return to reality.”
Later that day, however, Ukraine’s posture appeared to soften, as its foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba proposed a United Nations-hosted summit before the end of February, which Russia might join after being charged with war crimes.
There have been no genuine peace discussions in the conflict for months, and there appears to be no end in sight.
Due to Russian attacks on essential infrastructure, millions of Ukrainians have fled their nation, and millions of those who remained are without power.
Russia insists it will continue fighting until it achieves its objectives, while Ukraine insists it will not negotiate until every Russian soldier has left its land.
Mr. Putin has stated that he considers the military operation to be “defending our national interests…protecting our citizens,” and that any negotiations must be conducted on his terms.
This, according to Ukraine, would amount to acquiescing to Russian demands and admitting Mr. Putin’s annexation of four Ukrainian areas.
