Withdrawal of troops from four regions and rejection of NATO: Lavrov voiced his demands to Kyiv and received a response

Moscow demands that Kyiv abandon its intentions to become a NATO member. The Kremlin also wants Ukraine to withdraw its troops beyond the administrative borders of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, which Russia has failed to fully occupy but managed to "write" into its constitution.

According to Moscow, Ukraine's recognition of the alleged belonging of these regions to Russia, as well as the fulfillment of Russia's ultimatums to disarm and actually destroy its army, should become "the basis for a peaceful settlement." In an interview with Newsweek, the aggressor state's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov once again demanded Ukraine's surrender to Russia and the complete lifting of Western sanctions against Russia.

In fact, in his "exclusive comments" published by the magazine on October 7, Lavrov said nothing new. He once again repeated the Kremlin's brazen demand that Ukraine give up four of its regions, which Russia has only partially occupied. In addition, the Russian dictator, followed by Lavrov, continues to insist on other ultimatums to Kyiv. And the actual surrender of Ukraine, in the Kremlin's mind, is only a "precondition for the settlement" of Russian aggression.

At the same time, Lavrov wants "the lifting of all sanctions against Russia," which, as we know from Putin's previous statements, "only make Russia stronger."

"On June 14, President Vladimir Putin named the following prerequisites for a settlement: the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the DPR, LPR (quasi-entities created by Russia in the Ukrainian Donetsk and Luhansk regions – Ed.), Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions; recognition of the territorial realities enshrined in the Russian Constitution; neutral, non-aligned, non-nuclear status of Ukraine; its demilitarization and denazification; ensuring the rights, freedoms and interests of Russian-speaking citizens and lifting all sanctions against Russia," Lavrov did not restrain his appetite.

All these requirements, which, according to the Kremlin, will be a prerequisite for Russia to consider ending the war, were contained in the "Istanbul agreements initialed (pre-signed – Ed.) on March 29, 2022, by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations."

"They provide for Kyiv's refusal to join NATO and contain security guarantees for Ukraine, taking into account the realities on the ground at that time," Lavrov said, adding that over the past "two years, these realities have changed significantly, including in legal terms."

At the same time, the Russian official complained that Ukraine responded to the Kremlin's "peace proposals" with "an armed invasion of the Kursk region on August 6," and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not lifted the earlier ban on negotiations with representatives of the current Russian regime, headed by dictator Vladimir Putin.

"His (Zelenskyy's – Ed.) patrons – the United States and other NATO countries – are seeking to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. Under these circumstances, we have no choice but to continue the special military operation until the threats from Ukraine are eliminated," the Russian Foreign Minister said.

Lavrov presented the whole set of demands, ultimatums, and fantasies under the usual "sauce" in the form of the mantra about "Russia's openness to a political and diplomatic settlement."

"It should be aimed at ending the conflict, not a ceasefire. The West must stop supplying weapons, and Kyiv must stop fighting. Ukraine must return to its neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status, protect the Russian language, and respect the rights and freedoms of its citizens," the Russian diplomat said.

In Lavrov's distorted perception, Ukrainians who were forced to take up arms to defend their families and cities from Russian invasion did so because "their own government ruthlessly pushes them to war to kill them." Instead, Russians who go to a neighboring country as occupiers to loot, make money, or avoid jail time, in his version, are defending "the defense of their people and vital security interests."

"Unlike Russia, the United States continues to talk about some 'rules', 'way of life' and the like, apparently having little understanding of where Ukraine is and what the stakes are in this war," Lavrov admitted with the "sophistication" typical of Russian diplomacy, recognizing the total violation of international law that Russia has been committing for years.

His excuses also included threats to the West and the United States, in particular, with "unimaginable consequences" for supporting Ukraine and even discussing the possibility of allowing the use of Western weapons on Russian territory. Lavrov also shared with the American publication his fantasies about a "new global world order" with Russia at the helm.

In addition, he amused the Newsweek audience by moaning that it was the West's fault that the "second army of the world" has been unable to defeat Ukraine, against which it has thrown all its might, for more than 2.5 years, and by mentioning the 2015 Minsk Agreements, which Ukraine allegedly did not fulfill and which were de facto nullified by Russia itself on February 24, 2022. Lavrov mentioned them as an illustration of the fact that "every time we put an agreement on paper that suits everyone, Kyiv and its masters backtrack." In addition to the Minsk Agreements, such an illustration, according to the Russian Foreign Minister, is the already mentioned Istanbul Agreements, as well as the agreement between the opposition and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych at the culmination of the Revolution of Dignity in February 2014, which was violated by the latter.

The representative of a country that constantly sticks its nose into the affairs of neighboring sovereign states concluded his speech with a "piece of advice" for the current and future US presidents.

"In general, it would be natural for the owner of the White House, whoever he is, to mind his own business rather than seek adventure tens of thousands of miles away from American shores. I am sure that the US voters think the same way," Lavrov decided to show the US the "place".

And while American journalists politely listened to Lavrov's set of rather worn-out methodologies, Ukrainians reacted to the "peace proposals" with due expression.

In particular, our compatriots outlined a walking route for Lavrov, Putin, and the rest of the Russian "peacekeepers," were surprised at the impudence of the aggressor state, and used an unambiguous gesture with the middle finger raised to illustrate the attitude of the Ukrainian people to such "proposals."

As a reminder, in late September, the Kremlin released Lavrov with another batch of "nuclear threats." He threatened with a nuclear weapon from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly. The addressees of Moscow's waving of the "nuclear stick" were once again the "Anglo-Saxons" who are allegedly preparing the "illegitimate Nazi Kyiv regime" for a "suicidal adventure."

Lavrov also accused Zelenskyy of allegedly wanting direct involvement of NATO countries in the fighting and repeated the mantra that "fighting to victory" with a nuclear country is "dangerous and pointless."

Before that, Lavrov had complained to the UN about the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in Kursk. He was offended that the international organization was "turning a blind eye" to Ukraine's "outrages."

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