ISW: Russia rejects any compromises on the war and demonstratively refuses to talk about a ceasefire

Russia rejects the possibility of any concessions during future peace talks on the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin says it will not make compromises, denies the possibility of deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine and rejects the possibility of a negotiated ceasefire. This is stated in the latest report of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports Ukrainskaya Pravda.

During his visit to the Moscow branch of the "Defenders of the Fatherland" foundation on March 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia "will not give in" and intends to achieve peace terms that will provide it with long-term guarantees.

"Putin declared 2025 the "Year of the Defender of the Fatherland", signaling mobilization efforts and support for the war against Ukraine.

He also said that Russia "will not give up" "its own" territory in future peace talks, referring to the annexed Ukrainian lands."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a press conference that Moscow would not consider any initiatives to deploy European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. According to him, such actions would be equated with the deployment of NATO forces, which means that Russia would view them as the Alliance's direct participation in the war.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also stressed that any proposals that could give Ukraine a “respite“ on the front are unacceptable to the Kremlin.

In addition, Lavrov stressed that Russia would insist on taking into account the so-called “root causes“ of the war, among which he indicated a halt to NATO expansion and guarantees for Russia's security. He said that US President Donald Trump understands these demands, while European countries ignore them.

Lavrov said that any peace agreement must take into account the so-called “root causes“ of the war in Ukraine, in particular guarantees that NATO will stop expanding in an attempt to “absorb” Ukraine and threaten Russia.

Lavrov claims that US President Trump "understands" the need to address these "root causes", while European countries try to ignore them.

Literally, "Russian officials often invoke the concept of "root causes" to hint at their demands that NATO abandon its open door policy and blame the West and Ukraine for Putin's decision to invade Ukraine".