Without this, agreement is impossible: Russian MFA sets conditions for Ukraine settlement
Russia«s Foreign Ministry states that the Ukrainian crisis cannot be resolved without settling the territorial question.
The second round of trilateral meetings between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States is taking place behind closed doors in the UAE. Alexei Polishchuk, Director of the Second Department of CIS Countries at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), outlined the critical conditions under which Russia and Ukraine must conclude a peace agreement.
According to him, achieving a long-term settlement of the Ukrainian crisis will be impossible without resolving the territorial issue. Furthermore, the root causes of the crisis created by the West must be eliminated.
«Ukraine must return to the origins of its statehood—a non-aligned, neutral, non-nuclear status—restore observance of linguistic and religious human rights and freedoms for ethnic Russians, Russian-speaking citizens, and national minorities, and abandon neo-Nazi ideology,» Polishchuk noted in a conversation with RIA Novosti.
Currently, negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi are reviewing and discussing four documents intended to form the basis of a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine. One such document concerns the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbass.
The parties also plan to consider the possibility of a partial ceasefire. Representatives from the United States and Ukraine are advocating for this initiative.
