Russia will allegedly halt military operations "in a moment" as long as Ukraine agrees to three terms laid out by the Kremlin.
In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Dmitry Peskov - a Russian diplomat who serves as the press secretary for the nation's president, Vladimir Putin - revealed the terms Russia is seeking that he claims will halt further military action in Ukraine.
Since invading Ukraine on February 24 to carry out its "special military operation", Reuters describes Peskov's comments regarding the terms as "the most explicit Russian statement so far".
In a telephone interview with the outlet, Peskov said that Ukraine was aware of the terms and have been informed: "All this can be stopped in a moment".
Per Reuters, the terms are as follows:
- Ukraine must cease military action.
- Ukraine must change its constitution to enshrine neutrality (dissolving any possibility of joining blocs like the EU or NATO.
- And Ukraine must recognize the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states, and acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory.
Peskov added that Russia is not seeking any further territorial claims on Ukraine and rebuffed any claims that the nation was demanding the city of Kyiv.
Per the Daily Mail, Peskov's comments come as Ukraine and Russia meet for the third round of peace talks on Monday.
Additionally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba are set to discuss the ongoing conflict at a forum in Turkey's capital city of Ankara on Thursday. This meeting has been reported by the Russian foreign ministry, and has not been confirmed by the Ukrainian foreign ministry, CNN reports.
Their meeting will reportedly be the first "top-level" meeting since the invasion started 12 days ago, the Daily Mail states.
On Sunday, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi estimated that over 1.5 million Ukrainians had fled the country following Russia's invasion on February 24.
If you would like to know how you can support the Ukrainian people at this time, click HERE to find a list of organizations and groups dedicated to helping those affected by this crisis.
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