Kremlin said on Wednesday that Ukraine’s conversion into a demilitarized country, like Austria or Sweden, with its own army, can be regarded as a compromise.
“This is the option that is really being discussed now and which can be seen as a real compromise,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
When asked on Wednesday whether Russia would link the signing of the final document with Ukraine to a lifting of Western sanctions, the Kremlin spokesman confirmed that the agenda of the talks between Moscow and Kiev included the sanctions issue.
“I will not comment [on it]. Indeed, the topic of sanctions is touched upon at these negotiations. But I would not like to give any details now,” Peskov told reporters.
Since Russia launched its operation to “demilitarize and de-Nazify” Ukraine on 24 February, responding to calls for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which it earlier recognized, it has been slapped with sanctions.
The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the goal of the current operation was to neutralize Ukraine’s military capacity while not harming the civilian population of the country.
Peskov added that not all countries have jumped on the bandwagon of punishing sanctions targeting Russia, yet Washington’s pressure on other states these days has been unprecedented.
“The United States is exerting unprecedented pressure on many countries of the world these days. The vast majority of countries bend under this pressure, but there are also countries that do not bend and take their sovereign position, more balanced. And they openly declare that they consider any pressure on themselves unacceptable,” the Russian official told reporters.
Peskov was asked to weigh in on the Russian foreign ministry’s announcement on Tuesday that Moscow was responding to US sanctions targeting Russian officials and prominent figures by envisioning restrictions against top US officials, including President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and others.
Russia’s decision to introduce such sanctions does not mean the renunciation of contacts at the top level, stated the spokesman.
“If necessary, these contacts can be resumed, and the imposition of these sanctions does not mean the rejection of contacts,” said Peskov.
The list of persons against whom Russia imposed sanctions was agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he added.
Source: Agencies
