Ukrainian crisis: Putin presented concrete proposals on final settlement: Russian envoy

ISLAMABAD: The Ambassador of Russia in Pakistan, Albert Khorev, said on Thursday that Kremlin has never given up on a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis, as it has repeatedly stated.

He made these remarks while speaking to journalists here on Thursday. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin presented concrete proposals for a final settlement of the conflict. Their key points include the withdrawal of Ukrainian armed formations from the new Russian regions, ie, the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Luhansk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye and Kherson; the recognition of the new territorial realities; Kiev’s refusal to join NATO; the lifting of all Western sanctions against Russia; and the guarantee of full rights for Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine, he pointed out.

In essence, what is being proposed is not a truce or ceasefire, as the West might prefer, to allow the Kiev regime to recover, rearm and prepare for a new offensive, nor a freeze on the conflict, but a definitive end to it. The negotiating process should culminate in peace in Europe, a new system of regional security, and non-confrontational relations between Russia and NATO.

The ambassador said that since 2014, the totalitarian regime in Kiev has systematically violated human rights, including those of ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine, planted Russophobia, massively falsified history by glorifying Nazi war criminals of the Great Patriotic War period, and carried out aggression against civilians in Donbass.

According to the Western strategy, Ukraine is expected to join NATO, and the alliance is conducting a large-scale military deployment on its territory. The country has been turned into a bridgehead to fight against Russia and has become a serious threat to Russia’s security.

Today, he emphasized that Kiev is conducting its military operations against Russia almost entirely at the expense of Western financial and military support. Since the beginning of the Special Military Operation, the total Western aid to Ukraine has amounted to more than 350 billion US dollars. Supplies of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine are growing. Their nomenclature is constantly expanding. The Kiev regime is being equipped with increasingly destructive and lethal systems, including inhumane weapons (cluster munitions, depleted uranium shells) and various types of missiles. Washington has announced the supply of banned anti-personnel mines for the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces.

As President Putin said, “It was not Russia, but the United States that destroyed the international security system. We have always preferred to settle all disputes by peaceful means. But we are also ready for any scenarios that may arise.”

The Russian ambassador said that the Russian proposal for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict was met with an invasion of the Kursk region by the Ukrainian armed forces. They are acting like the most brutal and despicable terrorists, shooting civilians, looting Russian villages, attacking journalists and threatening nuclear facilities.

The Kiev regime is carrying out terrorist attacks against civilian and social facilities in Russia, resulting in deaths and injuries.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024