OR Russia will require security guarantees to conclude a peace treaty, including its neutral status Ukraine and its refusal to join NATO, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grusco told the Russian news agency Izvestia.

“If we are talking about a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, of course it will have an external outline. We will demand that clear security guarantees be part of this agreement. Because only through their formation will it be possible to achieve constant peace in Ukraine and generally strengthen regional security. Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine and the refusal of its countries NATO To accept it as a member of the alliance, “Grusco said.

Grusco explained that “this requirement was precisely specified” in the draft security guarantees submitted by Russia in 2021. “In 2021, the Russian Federation made two proposals. One was addressed to the US and the other to NATO countries. But they were not supported. We understood that our so -called partners were not ready to start a dialogue on the substance. It became clear that the nature of the US military alliance and US military preparations aims to achieve superiority over Russia. In addition, Ukraine was chosen as the main battlefield, the theater of military operations against Russia, “he said.

Russia opposes any troops in Ukraine as part of security guarantees after the end of the war, not just NATO troops, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in the meantime.

The issue of unarmed observers as part of international support for Ukraine after the war can only be discussed when the peace agreement is drawn up, the Russian Foreign Minister added.