Moscow refuses real compromises in possible negotiations with Kiev.
This was reported by URA-Inform with reference to ISW.
Analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War noted that Russia believes that negotiations with Ukraine should be based exclusively on the conditions that were once voiced in Istanbul.
“Speaker of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko stated that Russia is allegedly open to compromises in negotiations with Ukraine. At the same time, she emphasized that the conditions put forward during the negotiations in Istanbul in March 2022 remain unchanged,” the report says.
Matviyenko stressed that Russia would not back down from these conditions “one iota.” In Istanbul, Russia demanded that Ukraine become a neutral state that would not be able to join NATO. Another demand of Russia was to limit the number of Ukrainian Armed Forces to 85,000 people, similar to the one imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.
“The Russian demands in Istanbul turned out to be more detailed versions of the ultimatums Putin had been issuing for months before the full-scale invasion. They included “demilitarization” and neutrality of Ukraine,” the analysts noted.
The experts concluded that Matviyenko had essentially repeated Putin's demands at the annual Direct Line television press conference on December 19. Similar statements from high-ranking Russian officials are likely to be heard in the coming weeks for both domestic and foreign audiences.
ISW analysts emphasized that the intensification of the rhetoric of Russian officials indicates Putin's confidence in victory over Ukraine.
“This remains unchanged despite the significant defeats that the Russian army has suffered since then,” the report says.
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