Kremlin demands full capitulation from Ukraine, rejects compromise in peace talks — ISW
Russian officials and propagandists continue to reject U.S.
proposals for ending the war in Ukraine unless all of the Kremlin’s demands are
met — including regime change, demilitarization, and significant territorial
concessions — the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a new report
on April 18.
One of Russia’s top propagandists, Margarita Simonyan,
called on Moscow to reject the
reported U.S. proposal to freeze the front lines and block Ukraine from
joining NATO. She claimed the plan failed to include “denazification” or
recognition of occupied Ukrainian territories, and attempted to “delegitimize
Ukraine and the U.S. as negotiating partners.” Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of
Russia’s Security Council, urged the U.S. to “wash its hands” of the matter and
let Russia “deal with” the war more quickly.
Kremlin officials — including dictator Vladimir Putin — have
repeatedly said they will not accept any peace agreement that does not meet all
of Russia’s territorial and political demands regarding Ukraine. Moscow
continues to assert that Putin remains committed to achieving his full list of
objectives, including demilitarization and “denazification,” which entails
reducing Ukraine’s military forces and installing a pro-Russian puppet
government in Kyiv.
Putin has also called on Ukraine to surrender territories
that remain under its control, and Russian officials are likely raising these
demands at the negotiating table, ISW said.
Analysts believe that this persistent stance has shaped
Russian public expectations that these conditions will be fulfilled under any
eventual resolution of the war in Ukraine. ISW maintains that the Kremlin has
not abandoned its long-standing goals, and Russian officials continue to openly
state their refusal to compromise.
The institute also noted a resurgence of Kremlin narratives
framing the removal of the so-called “root causes” of the war as a precondition
for peace. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov previously claimed those
“causes” include NATO’s eastward expansion and the alleged “discrimination”
against the Russian language and culture in Ukraine.
“These so-called root causes are a reference to Russia’s prewar
demands, which amount to Ukraine’s full capitulation and the establishment of a
pro-Russian government,” the analysis said.
ISW stressed that while Kremlin officials try to appear open
to negotiations, their continued insistence on prewar demands shows the
opposite. Meanwhile, Ukraine is demonstrating a willingness to negotiate for a
durable peace.
On April 18, U.S. President Donald Trump stated the
United States would exit the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine if either
side “complicates” the process too much. His comment followed remarks from
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the
U.S. expects to see progress toward peace in the coming days, or else the
talks would be deemed “unviable.”
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