09/03/2022
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is no longer pressing for NATO membership for Ukraine, a delicate issue that was one of Russia's stated reasons for invading its pro-Western neighbor.
In another apparent nod aimed at placating Moscow, Zelensky said he is open to "compromise" on the status of two breakaway pro-Russian territories,
That President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent just before unleashing the invasion on February 24.
RUSSIA'S 4 DEMANDS
1- Ukraine ceases military action
"We really are finishing the demilitarisation of Ukraine. We will finish it. But the main thing is that Ukraine ceases its military action. They should stop their military action and then no one will shoot," the Kremlin spokesman said.
2- Ukraine changes its constitution to enshrine neutrality
"They should make amendments to the constitution according to which Ukraine would reject any aims to enter any bloc," he said.
3-Acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory
He added, "We have also spoken about how they should recognise that Crimea is Russian
territory."
4- Recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states
"They need to recognise that Donetsk and Lugansk are independent states. And that's it. It will stop in a moment," the spokesman said.
There was no immediate reaction from the Ukrainian side.
ON JOINING NATO
Joining NATO has been a foreign policy priority for Ukraine, but Zelensky seemed to imply to ABC News that Ukraine could be willing to negotiate on the issue.
He acknowledged that NATO is not "ready to accept Ukraine" and that he has no plans to beg for admittance.
However, Zelensky won't give in to every demand Russia has and so far, peace talks have yielded few results.
"I'm ready for a dialogue," Zelensky told ABC News.
"We are not ready for that capitulation because it's not about me, this is about the people who elected me."
ON CRIMEA
Along with "cooling down" to the idea of joining NATO, Zelensky told ABC News that there's room for negotiating on the occupied territories and unrecognized republics.
While Russia's pushed for international recognition of Crimea as part of Russia since its annexation in 2014, very few have gotten on board.
"They will recognize [Crimea] sooner or later. There is no way around it. But we are ready for the process to take a long time," Sergey Aksyonov, the head of Crimea, told TASS in December.
ON DONBAS REGION
Crimea officially becoming part of Russia in the eyes of the world has been a Russian demand for years, but now, officials also want Ukraine to separate itself from two separatist areas of the Donbas.
The area's been in a state of conflict for years as pro-Russian separatists fought with Ukrainian forces. Plus, ahead of Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine,
Putin recognized Lugansk and Donetsk as independent states.
Zelensky told ABC News giving in to Russia's demands regarding the areas isn't as simple as it may seem.
He said it's "important" for him as president to consider how the people in those territories will live, including those who want to be part of Ukraine.
WHAT ABOUT DEMILITARISATION?
The fourth demand on the list is that Ukraine stops all military action.
Peskov said Russia is committed to "finishing" the demilitarization of Ukraine and if Ukraine ceases its military, "then no one will shoot."
However, it's unlikely Ukraine agrees to giving up its military because
it's the main reason the country's been able to mount a resistance to Russian forces.
3RD ROUND OF TALK
Russia and Ukraine held a third round of peace talks on Monday in the region of Brest, Western Belarus.
Ukrainian negotiators gave their Russian counterparts assurances that humanitarian corridors declared by the
Russian military on Monday would begin operating as normal.
Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky expressed disappointment about a lack of progress in the talks,
Noting the Ukrainian side did not sign Russian-proposed protocols on issues already agreed upon in principle in the previous round of discussions.
Both sides expressed readiness to continue negotiations.
