Lavrov to Ukraine: Fulfill our proposals or Russian army will decide issue
Russia's foreign minister has warned Ukraine that in order to end the ongoing war between the two neighbors, Kiev must fulfill Moscow's proposals, or the issue would be settled by the Russian army.
Sergei Lavrov made the remark as quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency late on Monday, adding that Ukraine is fully aware of Russia's demands and could simply fulfill them to bring an end to the war.
"Our proposals for the demilitarization and denazification of the territories controlled by the [Kiev] regime, [and] the elimination of threats to Russia's security emanating from there, including our new lands, are well-known to the enemy," Lavrov said, adding, "The point is simple: Fulfill them for your own good. Otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army."
Moscow says it started the war in order to defend the pro-Russian population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk against persecution by Kiev, and also to "de-Nazify" its neighbor.
Russia's former President Dmitry Medvedov warned in an article recently that Moscow would pursue the war until the "disgusting, almost fascist regime" in Kiev is removed and the country is totally demilitarized.
So far during the military conflict, Moscow has seized around a fifth of Ukraine's expanse in its south and east.
Lavrov's comments did not mark the first time that Moscow conditioned a possible end to the military campaign on Ukraine's recognition of the Russian rule over the seized territories.
Kiev, however, has ruled out conceding any land to Russia.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was open to negotiations and blamed Kiev and its Western backers for a lack of talks.
Lavrov likewise affirmed in his remarks that when it comes to how long the conflict would last, "the ball is in the regime's court and Washington behind it."
Ever since the beginning of the war, Ukraine's Western allies, led by the United States, have been pumping the country full of advanced weapons and slapping Russia with a slew of sanctions; steps Moscow says will only prolong the conflict.
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