KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday warned that Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demand for “demilitarization” and “denazification,” as well as the removal of the military threat to Russia, otherwise “the Russian army (will) solve the issue.”
Sergey Lavrov also accused the West of fueling the war in Ukraine to weaken Russia, and said that it depends on Kyiv and Washington how long the conflict, which started on Feb. 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine, will last.
“As for the duration of the conflict, the ball is on the side of the (Kyiv) regime and Washington that stands behind its back,” Lavrov told the state Tass news agency. “They may stop senseless resistance at any moment.”
In an apparent reaction, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted that “Russia needs to face the reality.”
“Neither total mobilization, nor panicky search for ammo, nor secret contracts with Iran, nor Lavrov’s threats will help,” he said. “Ukraine will demilitarize the RF (Russian Federation) to the end, oust the invaders from all occupied territories. Wait for the finale silently…”
A day earlier, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the Associated Press in an interview that his government wants a summit to end the war but that he doesn’t anticipate Russia taking part.
Kuleba said Ukraine wants a “peace” summit within two months with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres acting as mediator. But he also said that Russia must face a war crimes tribunal before before his country directly talks with Moscow.
Both statements illustrate how complex and difficult any attempts to end the war could be. Ukraine has said in the past that it wouldn’t negotiate with Russia before the full withdrawal of its troops, while Moscow insists its military gains and the 2014 annexation of the Crimea Peninsula cannot be ignored.
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Lavrov: Ukraine must demilitarize or Russia will do it https://t.co/jTgsFVMLDP pic.twitter.com/LMdHDAMJPN
— The Hill (@thehill) December 27, 2022
If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine.
If Russia withdraws, there will be no war.
That’s the difference. https://t.co/yX6LCluQg4
— Alex Plitsas 🇺🇸 (@alexplitsas) December 27, 2022
Lavrov sounded extra comical giving "an ultimatum" to Ukr to submit to Ru's original demands or "Ru army will take matters into its own hands". What has Ru army been doing so far? Outsourcing the invasion to incompetent amateurs?
Notably, no nuclear threats today. Good.
— Maria Popova (@PopovaProf) December 28, 2022
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