Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demands or our army will – Russian government threatens Ukraine with ultimatum

 Tuesday, December 27, 2022 – Just a day after President Vladimir Putin said he was open to negotiations over Ukraine, Russia’s foreign minister has said Kyiv and the West must meet Moscow’s demands.

Kyiv and the US have dismissed Putin’s offer to talk, as Russian forces continue to batter Ukrainian towns with missiles and rockets and Moscow continues to demand that Kyiv recognizes it has annexed four Ukrainian territories

Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, calling it a “special operation” to “denazify” and demilitarise Ukraine, which he said was a threat to Russia.

Kyiv and the West say Putin’s invasion was merely an imperialist land grab. The United States and its allies have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia for its invasion and sent billions of dollars in assistance to the Ukrainian government.

While Moscow had planned a swift operation to take over its neighbour, the war is now in its 11th month, marked by many embarrassing Russian battlefield setbacks.

Now Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday night, December 26;

“Our proposals for the demilitarization and denazification of the territories controlled by the regime, the elimination of threats to Russia’s security emanating from there, including our new lands, are well known to the enemy,” State news agency TASS quoted Lavrov as saying.

“The point is simple: Fulfil them for your own good. Otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army.”

Just last week, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vistied Washington, the United States announced another $1.85 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, including a transfer of the Patriot Air Defense System, angering Moscow.

“It is no secret to anyone that the strategic goal of the United States and its NATO allies is to defeat Russia on the battlefield as a mechanism for significantly weakening or even destroying our country,” Lavrov further told TASS.

He reiterated that Russia and the United States cannot maintain normal connection, blaming the administration of the U.S. President Joe Biden.