Moscow sat at the Riyadh negotiating table with demands that Kiev cannot accept, CNN comments. The apparent Russian “180 -degree turn” on the issue of EU integration is pointed out by the BBC.

‘Requirements that cannot be accepted’

American and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, letting Kiev watch long.

While the talks have been described as “exploratory” on both sides, it is already clear that Moscow insists on terms that will be unacceptable to Ukraine and its allies.

Here are some of the important demands of the Kremlin as sketched by the Russian ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia:

Ukraine will assign more territories: Nebenzia told the UN Security Council that parts of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and four other areas, have been “irrevocably lost”.

He incorrectly claimed that the so -called Donetsk and Luhank People’s Republic, as well as the areas of Hersona and Zaporizia, “have joined the Russian Federation”. He referred to referendums held by the Russian authorities in the occupied areas, which were widely denounced as invalid by Ukraine and its Western allies.

According to the US -based War Study Institute, Russia is currently occupied by about 99% of the Luhansk region, 70% of Donetsk region and about 75% of Hersona and Zaporizia. Nebenzia commented that peace negotiations should “correct” this situation, insisting that Ukraine will also resign from control of sections of the four areas who are not under Russian occupation.

Removal of Zelenski: Nebenzia has also made it clear that Russia wants to force Ukraine President Volodimir Zelenski to resign. The Russian ambassador called Zelenski “the so -called president of Ukraine” and referred to his government as “the draw of Zelensky”, saying that neither of them had “a role to play in New Ukraine”.

Zelenski won Ukraine’s presidential election in 2019. His term should have ended last May, but remains in place because Ukraine is currently under military law, after Russia invaded the country in February 2022 .

‘Neutral’ Ukraine: Nebenzia also said that Ukraine must be a “demilitarized, neutral state, not part of any block or alliances”. Ukraine has long insisted that it has to join NATO in the future, and the defense alliance has stated that the door is open to any country it wishes to join if it meets the accession criteria.

The EU and the United Kingdom were excluded from the talks: the Russian diplomat also said that the European Union and the United Kingdom are “completely unreliable” in their speech and cannot act as mediators or participate in an agreement on Ukraine. Added that the EU and the United Kingdom are ‘unable’ to reach an agreement with
Russia because they have been blinded by “primitive Russianophobia”.

Moscow’s 180 -degree turn may be without a response

However, the fact that Russia recognizes Ukraine’s “sovereign right” to join the European Union did not go unnoticed by Timophy Milovanov reports the BBC.

As the president of the Kiev School of Economics notes, this is an unexpected Russian statement after three years of its full -scale invasion.

The desirable integration into the block, along with joining NATO alliance, was the The core of Ukraine’s political alignment with the West.

And- in total 11-year- Russian aggressive campaign against Kiev, is Moscow’s attempt to deny these dreams or sovereign rights to Ukrainians.

The fact that the Kremlin now argues that it will not oppose Ukraine integration in the EU is a first sign of compromise, But that doesn’t mean it will happen soon.

Moscow’s “Papers” in the Union, Hungary -friendly and Slovakia probably will block or stop any accession process.

In addition, if Kiev was joining the EU, this would probably be without the security guarantees provided by NATO accession.

“If America does not want to protect Ukraine in the future, and Europe cannot, it could make Ukrainian refugees problematic and would make European businesses less willing to invest in the long -standing country,” the BBC said.

Peskov: Putin is ready to talk to Zelenski “If Need”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Putin was ready to speak with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski “if needed”, but appeared to question his legality.

“Putin himself has stated that he would be ready to negotiate with Zelenski, if needed, but the legal basis of the agreements needs a debate, taking into account the reality that Zelenski’s legitimacy can be disputed,” Peskov told reporters.

He also said that the issue of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is its sovereign right and that Russia does not intend to dictate Kiev how to approach the issue – but will draw a line when it comes to military alliances.

“We are talking about processes of completion and financial integration. No one can dictate anything to any country and we are not going to do that, “Peskov said.

But for NATO, he said: “It should not be so difficult to understand: there is a completely different position, of course, on security -related issues related to defense or military alliances.”

In statements that are likely to cause further concern in Central and Eastern Europe, Peskov also said that “a constant and long -term viable solution is impossible without a comprehensive examination of security issues in Epirus.”

Sugar: Ukraine’s accession to NATO unacceptable

Ukraine’s accession to NATO would be “unacceptable” to Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zaharova said earlier today.

“Ukraine’s accession to NATO … is unacceptable to us. It raises serious threats to our safety and will lead to catastrophic consequences for all of Europe, “ Maria Zaharova said at a press conference.

Sakharova also stated that “The refusal of Ukraine integration into NATO now is not enough”suggesting that Moscow may want longer -term guarantees that it will not be allowed to join Ukraine to join the military alliance in the future.

OH called NATO to “Renounce the promises of Bucharest 2008”referring to the Alliance’s agreement at the Summit in the Romanian capital, where Ukraine and Georgia were given a promise of possible integration in the future.

Last week, US Secretary of Defense Pitt Hegschez “extinguished” Ukraine’s hopes for immediate NATO integration, saying this is not a realistic scenario in the context of a settlement in the midst of negotiations with Russia. Later, Hegschez appeared to back down his own statements, telling reporters in Brussels that “everything is on the table” for Ukraine during the negotiations.

During last year’s NATO summit in Washington, the Alliance confirmed that Ukraine is on a “irreversible course” to NATO accession, but did not give a timetable.

Following Hegschez’s statements, a NATO official said that Ukraine’s accession “is not necessarily something that needs to be negotiated with Russia. It is something that is a decision of the allies. ” The official insisted that “the position of the alliance has not changed and Ukraine is still on the way to integration”