Russia will demand security guarantees for the conclusion of a peace treaty, including a neutral status for Ukraine and a refusal to accept it into NATO.
This was stated by the Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Grushko to "Izvestia"..
„If we are talking about a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, then, of course, it will have external outlines. We will demand iron security guarantees that will become part of this agreement. Because only through their formation will it be possible to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine and generally strengthen regional security. Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine and the refusal of NATO countries to accept it as a member of the alliance,“ he said.
Grushko explained that “this is exactly the provision that is written“ in the draft agreements on security guarantees that Russia presented in 2021.
“In 2021, the Russian Federation presented two initiatives. One was addressed to the United States, the other to NATO countries. But they were not supported. We understood that our so-called partners are not ready to conduct a substantive dialogue. It became clear that the nature of the military construction of the alliance and the military preparations of the United States are aimed at achieving superiority over the Russian Federation. In addition, Ukraine was chosen as the main battlefield, the theater of military operations against Russia“, the deputy minister explained.
Talking about “NATO or EU “peacekeepers” in Ukraine is absurd, they will become a party to the conflict with all the ensuing consequences, Grushko added.
“All this talk is absolutely inappropriate and absurd. And I think even the average Westerner understands the true cost of this kind of information leakage“, he said.
The deputy minister noted that the Russian side “does not care at all under what label NATO contingents may be deployed on the territory of Ukraine: whether of the European Union, of NATO or in a national capacity“. "In any case, if they appear there, it means that they are deploying themselves in the conflict zone with all the contingents arising from this as parties to the conflict," Grushko stressed.
"Peacekeeping and NATO are fundamentally incompatible things. Many boast that this is a defensive alliance, but the true history of the alliance consists of military operations, a series of aggressions for no reason, just to once again emphasize its hegemony in world and regional affairs," the diplomat added.
A peace treaty could provide for the presence of unarmed observers in Ukraine, a civilian mission to monitor the implementation of certain aspects of the agreement, or guarantee mechanisms, Grushko added.
Talks about sending peacekeeping missions to Ukraine are currently "an attempt to put the cart before the horse". “The question of any international support for the agreement can be approached only after this agreement is developed“, the deputy minister emphasized.
According to him, the “subject of discussion“ will appear only if “the parties understand that the “peace package” requires international support”. “We can talk about unarmed observers, about a civilian mission to monitor the implementation of individual aspects of this agreement, or about guarantee mechanisms. But for now this is just hot air“, said Grushko.
Earlier, the British newspaper The Sunday Times, citing a source in the armed forces of the kingdom, reported that the countries of the “coalition of the willing“ are discussing the possible sending of more than 10 thousand so-called peacekeepers to Ukraine.