“The Chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, reiterated Moscow’s conditions for ceasing the war in Ukraine, according to the TASS agency.
According to Naryshkin’s statement quoted by dpa and Agerpres, a peace agreement should include Ukraine’s renunciation of its intentions to join NATO, acceptance of Russia’s current territorial borders, and recognition of sovereignty over the annexed regions.
Furthermore, ‘the conditions for a peace agreement include a nuclear-free, neutral status for Ukraine, demilitarization and denazification of the Ukrainian state, and the abolishment of all discriminatory laws adopted after the 2014 coup,’ said Naryshkin during a visit to Minsk, referring to the pro-European protests in 2014 that led to the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych.
He also noted that Russia has seen an increase in NATO activity at its borders and those of Belarus.
At the same time, Naryshkin welcomed the resumption of dialogue between Russia and the US regarding a possible end to the conflict.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, confirmed that negotiations with the US are ongoing, but accused Europe of sabotaging peace by providing military support to Ukraine. The European Union and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reject these accusations.
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and following its invasion in February 2022 has claimed the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia. With the exception of Crimea, Russian forces do not have full control over these territories.”