Russia’s Defense Minister Says Ukraine Must Give Up Territory to Talk
Russia’s defense minister, Sergey Shoigu, recently said that Ukraine must leave four regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – before negotiations can start. This is not a new demand from Russia.
US President–elect Donald Trump wants to talk to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. But Russia has been clear about what it wants: for Ukraine to give up all control over these four regions.
Russia says that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is not a legitimate leader because he suspended elections during the war. This is not true, as martial law was declared in February 2022 and does not allow elections.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says that Russia has been trying to make Ukraine’s government look illegitimate since the invasion started. The ISW believes that Russia only wants to talk when it thinks it can get something from Ukraine.
Russian officials, including Defense Minister Shoigu and Security Council Deputy Chair Dmitry Medvedev, have all said that they want Ukraine to leave these four regions before talking about peace.
This is a consistent message from Russia since the invasion started in February 2022. The country has not changed its goals: it wants Ukraine to give up control over these regions, stop aspiring to join NATO, and become a client state again.
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