This is reported by Kyiv24
The Kremlin continues to ignore the main provisions of peace agreements, including the 28-point proposals from the United States that provide for reliable security guarantees for Ukraine and a possible territorial compromise. This is stated in the report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Kremlin’s Position on Security Guarantees and Territories
According to analysts, the Russian Federation categorically rejects any ideas of providing Ukraine with security guarantees similar to NATO within the framework of a future peace agreement. The Russian authorities also refuse to make any concessions regarding their territorial claims to sovereign Ukrainian land.
The ISW report emphasizes an interview with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov for ABC News, where he stated that Russia
“definitely will never support or agree” to the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, even if these forces are part of security guarantees or members of the “Coalition of the Willing.”
Furthermore, Ryabkov once again emphasized Russia’s refusal to make “any compromises” regarding the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea, which Russia has illegally occupied.
Kremlin’s Strategy and Response to International Negotiations
Ryabkov also reiterated the Kremlin’s “theory of victory,” according to which Russia is convinced of its inevitable victory through the exhaustion of Ukraine and its Western partners. He stated that the end of the war depends on the moment when Ukraine’s Western allies “recognize the inevitable outcome of Russian success.” According to Ryabkov, the true goal of the war is to establish Russia’s control not only over Ukrainian territories but also over the government and people of Ukraine.
On December 16, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia seeks to “end this war,” but only on its own terms, which, according to ISW’s assessment, include a change of power in Ukraine, the destruction of the Ukrainian army, and the disunity of Western allies. Peskov also dismissed the possibility of declaring a Christmas truce.
Meanwhile, on December 14-15, negotiations took place in Berlin between the Ukrainian delegation led by the President of Ukraine, U.S. Special Representative Steve Vitkoff, and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of the American president. Following the meeting, on December 15, European countries presented their six-point security guarantee plan for Ukraine.
As Peskov reported, the Kremlin has not yet received signals regarding the outcomes of the negotiations involving the U.S., Ukraine, and European leaders in Berlin. According to the Russian representative, the Russian side needs to familiarize itself with the details of the meeting before participating in further negotiations.