Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that after the hostilities end, all of Ukraine should effectively become a "buffer zone" between Russia and the West. The Moscow Times reports this, citing a statement by the head of Russia’s Foreign Ministry, writes UNN.
Details
During a broadcast on Russia’s "Channel One," Lavrov was asked how Moscow plans to secure guarantees that hostilities will not resume in 25 years.
Everyone is thinking that Russia needs a "buffer zone." Let Ukraine become this buffer
He also repeated Russian propaganda claims about alleged violations of human, linguistic, and religious rights in Ukraine and said that preserving the current Ukrainian authorities after the end of the "military phase" is unacceptable to Moscow.
The Kremlin had previously spoken only about territories near the border
Vladimir Putin began publicly speaking about the creation of a so-called "security buffer zone" on the territory of Ukraine back in the summer of 2023. He subsequently repeatedly stated the need to expand it, allegedly to protect Russia’s border regions.
However, Lavrov’s current statement extends this concept not only to Ukraine’s border territories but effectively to all of Ukraine.
Earlier, sources for The Moscow Times close to the Russian leadership reported that the Kremlin was considering the possibility of seizing additional Ukrainian territories, including parts of Sumy or Dnipropetrovsk regions, for their subsequent use in possible negotiations.
On the same day, Lavrov said that Russia is not currently conducting peace talks and urged Western countries not to "fuss" with new proposals to end the war.