Russia and Ukraine’s delegations are meeting for a second round of peace negotiations Thursday while Russia continues to escalate its troop movements within the country.
Ukrainian leaders have expressed a desire for a ceasefire, but Russia appears uninterested in considering such terms. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia had submitted its demands to the Ukrainian delegation and was waiting to hear Kyiv’s response during talks set to meet in the western Belarussian region of Brest.
“We are ready to conduct talks, but we will continue the operation because we won’t allow Ukraine to preserve a military infrastructure that threatens Russia,” Lavrov said, according to the Associated Press. Lavrov emphasized Russia’s desire for peace but said Russia would see its war out to “the end,” reported Reuters.
Lavrov argued Russia’s dialogue with Ukraine and the West must be based on mutual respect. However, he accused NATO of attempting to maintain its supremacy. He stated Russia could not allow anyone to undermine its interests. This includes implementing provisions that would stop Ukraine from becoming a military threat.
Lavrov also dismissed the threat of nuclear action by Vladimir Putin, which the Russian president has implied several times.
“The thought of nuclear is constantly spinning in the heads of Western politicians but not in the heads of Russians,” he added, according to Reuters. “I assure you that we will not allow any kind of provocation to unbalance us.”
Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday they intended to seek a ceasefire and venues for humanitarian efforts.
“We are ready for negotiations and diplomacy, but we are against the Russian ultimatum,” Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a Facebook video.
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Kuleba said Russia’s demands in the first round of negotiations had not differed from Putin’s previously voiced requests and emphasized Ukraine did not “take a step back.”
Russia’s military actions include attacks on Kharkiv and Kyiv, among other Russian cities, and a deeper deployment into Kherson after capturing the city on Wednesday. The Russian military has continued to shell Ukrainian cities, drawing international criticism for allegedly targeting civilians.
