“Russia declares that negotiations with Ukraine should be based solely on the conditions that were announced in Istanbul, and refuses any compromises, despite changes on the front and significant territorial gains of Ukraine.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Russia declares that negotiations with Ukraine should be based solely on the conditions that were announced in Istanbul, and refuses any compromises, despite changes on the front and significant territorial gains of Ukraine.
Source: ISW
Literally: “Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko said on December 24 that Russia is 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.”
Details: Matvienko stressed that Russia will not back down from these conditions “not one iota”. In Istanbul, Russia demanded that Ukraine become a neutral state that would not be able to join NATO. Another requirement of the Russian Federation was to limit the number of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 85 thousand people, similar to the one imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War.
Literally: “The Russian demands in Istanbul turned out to be more detailed versions of the ultimatums that Putin issued months before the full-scale invasion. They included the ‘demilitarization’ and neutrality of Ukraine.”
Details: Matviyenko repeated Putin’s demands at the annual “Direct Line” televised press conference on December 19. It is likely that similar statements from high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation will be heard in the coming weeks for both domestic and foreign audiences, analysts note in the report.
ISW analysts note that the intensification of the rhetoric of Russian officials indicates Putin’s confidence in victory over Ukraine. “This remains unchanged, despite the significant defeats the Russian army has suffered since then,” the report says.
Key findings:
- A senior Russian official has confirmed that Vladimir Putin is pushing for talks with Ukraine on the same uncompromising terms that were put forward before the full-scale invasion and at the time of Russia’s biggest territorial gains. This is despite the fact that Ukraine has liberated a significant part of its territory.
- Economic restrictions imposed by the Kremlin are likely to complicate efforts to implement policies aimed at combating Russia’s long-term demographic decline.
- A Russian cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea on December 23. Presumably, it was heading from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok via Syria and Libya.
- On December 24, the United States provided Ukraine with the first tranche of a loan formed exclusively from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.
- Russian troops advanced near Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Vugledar, Velika Novosilka and in the Kursk region.
- The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said on December 24 that 440,000 conscripts signed contracts for military service with the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2024.