Kremlin says Ukraine not joining NATO is fundamental issue in peace talks
The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukraine not joining the U.S.-led NATO military alliance was a fundamental question in talks on a possible peace settlement and that it was the subject of special discussion.
“Naturally this issue is one of the cornerstones and, of course, it is subject to special discussion,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov said that Russia expects an update from the U.S. after U.S. talks with European countries and Ukraine in Berlin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded Ukraine officially renounce its NATO ambitions and withdraw troops from the about 10% of Donbas. Moscow has also said Ukraine must be a neutral country and no NATO troops can be stationed in Ukraine.
Asked whether the negotiations could be over by Christmas, presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described trying to predict a potential time frame for a peace deal as a “thankless task.”
“I can only speak for the Russian side, for President Putin,” Peskov said. “He is open to peace, to a serious peace and serious decisions. He is absolutely not open to any tricks aimed at stalling for time.”
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced readiness to drop his country’s bid to join NATO if the U.S. and other Western nations give Kyiv security guarantees similar to those offered to NATO members. But Ukraine continued to reject ceding territory.
