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Do you think it sounds like an idiotic demand?
Russia wants Ukraine to accept limitations on its armed forces as part of a peace agreement.
But if Ukraine has to accept that, Russia should too.
The EU is preparing its core security demands for eventual peace talks, and Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas said at a press briefing on May 28 that she had already put forward a paper in February outlining possible demands for the Russian side.
At the press briefing, she floated the idea of applying Moscow’s demands for limitation on the Ukrainian armed forces to Russia as well.
After stating that other substantive points for the negotiations could include Russia actually respecting international agreements, she said that if Ukraine is to accept limitations on its armed forces, “this should be also mirrored then to Russia if it is in this agreement.”
So how does this sound to the Kremlin?
“Idiotic”
Russian media executive and propagandist Margarita Simonyan shared a clip of the Russian outlet IZ interviewing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The interviewer began by saying: “To begin negotiations with Russia on Ukraine, they (the EU) will demand limitations on Russian armed forces, including withdrawal from Transnistria and South Ossetia.”
Lavrov did not mince words when reacting to the demands:
“I don’t discuss idiotic statements,” he said before walking away from the interviewer.
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What are the EU’s key demands for Moscow?
According to RBC-Ukraine, the European Union’s demands for Moscow include Russia complying with international agreements it has signed, limiting its armed forces if Ukraine is required to do the same, and ceasing interference in other countries’ elections.
Kallas described the list of demands as a “maximalist approach,” but noted that the same could be said about Russia’s demands.
Sources: RBC-Ukraine, IZ, EEAS European Union External Action Service.
