ISW: Kremlin Pressing U.S. for Concessions on Ukraine and Not Making Any Compromises
Kyiv • UNN
The Kremlin demands concessions from the United States regarding negotiations on peace in Ukraine, insisting on a change in NATO policy. Russia is not taking any steps to meet them.
The Kremlin is putting pressure on the US and its allies to fulfill Russia's demands for establishing peace in Ukraine. This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
Details
Analysts point to yesterday's statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who noted that Washington allegedly shares the concerns of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin regarding the further eastward expansion of NATO "and that Russia had previously shared this concern with the United States during closed-door negotiations."
Peskov stated that the US position on further NATO expansion is "very attractive" to Russia, given that the United States continues to play a mediating role in negotiations to end the war.
They remind that the US previously stated its readiness to consider Russia's objections to Ukraine's possible future membership in NATO - a long-standing demand of Russia, which Russian officials often call the "root cause" of the war in Ukraine - in exchange for the Kremlin making concessions on other demands.
Peskov's statement indicates that Russian officials believe that the United States supports Russia's demand for NATO to change its fundamental open door policy. Such an obligation would effectively give Russia a veto over elements of the NATO charter, disproportionately benefit Russia's desired post-war security, and undermine US President Donald Trump's stated goals of achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
They conclude that the Kremlin is demanding concessions from the US regarding negotiations and potential post-war security arrangements and is not taking any similar steps, such as abandoning Russia's claims to currently unoccupied Ukrainian territories in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Reminder
Russia's representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, stated that Ukraine must stop mobilization, and the West must stop supplying weapons, for Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
According to ISW, Russian officials continue to signal the Kremlin's uncompromising position ahead of planned negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, suggesting that the upcoming meeting is unlikely to yield significant results in the context of establishing a lasting peace in Ukraine.