Russian President Vladimir Putin is said to have rejected conditions offered by US President-elect Donald Trump to end the war that would require Ukraine to postpone NATO membership for 10 to 20 years.
The proposal was discussed by President Trump’s team in early November 2024. However, as his response to journalists on Thursday showed, President Putin rejected this condition. According to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), President Putin said it does not matter whether Ukraine joins NATO “today, tomorrow or in 10 years.”
The Russian president’s statement said Russia would not compromise on its demands for 2021-2022, including forcing Ukraine to become a permanently neutral state and never join NATO, reduce the size of its military, and force the removal of the Ukrainian government. This was carried out despite repeated statements that it would not be possible.
This is exactly what Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated on Thursday, saying that the current Ukrainian government is illegitimate and therefore cannot be Russia’s negotiating partner.
Lavrov added: “According to the Constitution of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine is not legitimate and Ukraine needs to hold presidential elections.” This also suggests that Russia refuses to negotiate with Zelenskiy’s government and insists on regime change in Kiev as a precondition for negotiations.
However, Lavrov’s statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia is ready for dialogue at any time. “We have always agreed that the facts, borne out by our support for the document signed by Yanukovych and the opposition in February 2014, are nothing new. Although this was guaranteed by European countries, The opposition scrapped it the next morning. President Vladimir Putin also continues to refer to the fact that we supported the Istanbul Accord in April. 2022 was also largely torn apart by Western orders,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia needed “serious concrete proposals.”
“Once we have them, we will decide how to respond based on national interests, the goals of special military operations, and President Vladimir Putin’s June 14 speech at the Foreign Ministry,” he added. Ta.
Meanwhile, the Russian president, speaking at a meeting of the Eurasian Supreme Economic Council (SEEC) in St. Petersburg, said he was confident in Russia’s victory in the conflict with Ukraine. “I believe in God, and God is with us,” he added.
