Russia threatens to continue war if Ukraine does not accept Moscow's demands

Russia intends to continue the war against Ukraine by military means if Kyiv does not agree with Moscow's demands and does not recognize the current situation in the occupied territories.

This was stated by Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, quoted by the Russian state agency RIA Novosti.

According to Nebenzya, Moscow considers a peaceful settlement impossible without Ukraine's recognition of the so-called "realities on the ground." The Russian diplomat also said that Kyiv must agree with what Moscow calls the "choice of millions of people" and eliminate what Russia claims are the "root causes of the conflict."

Otherwise, Nebenzya asserts, Russia will continue to achieve its goals by military means. Thus, the Russian side has again linked the cessation of war to Ukraine's fulfillment of its political and territorial demands.

Moscow claims Ukrainian Crimea, which Russia occupied and illegally annexed in 2014, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. In 2022, Russia declared the "annexation" of the four regions, although it did not control and still does not control them fully.

Ukraine does not recognize Russian sovereignty over the occupied territories. Kyiv's position is that legal recognition of the captured lands as Russian is impossible. The UN General Assembly also condemned the attempted annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions and reaffirmed Ukraine's territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders.

Nebenzya's statement came amid ongoing international efforts to find a possible model for ending the war. One of the key disagreements remains the territorial issue: Moscow demands that the results of the occupation be entrenched, while Ukraine refuses to legally give up its territories.

Based on: RIA Novosti, UN