Russia's goal is to reduce NATO's presence in Europe and redraw the map of the continent's security, Volodymyr Zelensky said in comments carried by RBK-Ukraine, among others:
I think Putin will talk about Finland and Sweden. I am convinced that he will raise Hungary and the American presence in the Baltic states.
Zelensky spoke to a group of media outlets on Friday, against a so-called embargo that means that the comments can only be published on Saturday.
Country against NATO?
The Ukrainian president says he has received word from the United States that Vladimir Putin agrees to European representatives participating in the next round of negotiations. In a next step, European leaders need to decide who will speak for them, Zelensky stressed.
US mediators have put forward a proposal for Ukraine to cede occupied territories to Russia, in exchange for Russia not objecting to Ukraine joining NATO.
The Americans raised a question: If Ukraine joins NATO, then what? Would Ukraine withdraw from Donbass? It was the first time it was raised, Zelensky says.
Discussions about what security guarantees Ukraine would receive in the event of a possible peace continue. Specific guarantees from NATO and the EU are now being negotiated, according to Zelensky. If that becomes clear, he says he wants to “ask the Ukrainian people what they think” about the guarantees.
I have no right to make that decision on my own, says the president.
The same list of demands
Information from the trilateral talks held in Abu Dhabi earlier this week suggests that Russia is sticking to the demands it has made on Ukraine for a long time, both in terms of territory and the country’s military cooperation, and that NATO takes a step back in Eastern Europe.
A document with Russian positions matches almost word for word the list of demands that Vladimir Putin presented two months before he launched the major invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, reports The New York Times which has seen a copy. Putin’s “core issues”, his motive for starting the war, are evident from this draft.
There have also been reports of tough demands on countries on NATO’s eastern flank, including that Finland should leave NATO. This information has not been confirmed by those involved and was denied in an initial comment from the Kremlin, but the Finnish government has nevertheless stated that this issue is not open to negotiation at all.
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