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https://www.newsweek.com/russia-may-have-just-given-ukraine-terms-ending-war-1829980

Russia May Have Just Given Ukraine Terms for Ending War
BY JON JACKSON ON 9/26/23 AT 3:28 PM EDT

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Atop Kremlin official on Saturday suggested Russia could agree to an end
to the war in Ukraine if a key condition is met.

During a press conference at the United Nations General Assembly,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated Russia would recognize
Ukraine's borders prior to Moscow's invasion if Kyiv pledges to not join
a military alliance.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin began the war on February 24,
2022, he and Kremlin officials have cited various justifications for the
conflict. But one of the most frequently stated reasons is Putin's
opposition to the expansion of NATO on his country's borders, and he is
said to be especially against Ukraine becoming a member of the military
bloc.

Lavrov told reporters that in 1991, Moscow "recognized the sovereignty
of Ukraine on the basis of the Declaration of Independence, which it
adopted upon leaving the USSR."

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Split image of Putin and Zelensky
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) delivers a speech during the
State Council's Presidium on September 21, 2023, in Veliky Novgorod,
Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference
on September 6, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. A Kremlin official suggested
Russia may be open to ending the war in Ukraine if Kyiv agrees to not
join a military alliance.

PHOTOS BY YAN DOBRONOSOV/GLOBAL IMAGES UKRAINE/GETTY IMAGES
"One of the main points for us was that Ukraine would be a non-aligned
country and would not enter into any military alliances," Lavrov said.
"Under those conditions, we support the territorial integrity of this
state."

George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government professor
Mark N. Katz told Newsweek that "Ukraine's 1990 Declaration of State
Sovereignty does indeed proclaim Ukraine to be a 'permanently neutral
state that does not participate in military blocs.'

"Lavrov's statement, then, does imply that Moscow would recognize
Ukraine's 1990 borders if Ukraine foreswore membership in NATO."

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Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via
email for comment.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing since the start
of the war for his country to be made part of NATO, and his efforts have
gained the support of key NATO officials. But even if Zelensky agreed to
relinquish the bid for NATO membership in order to end the war, Ukraine
would likely still find a sticking point on the issue of Crimea.

Putin invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014, and Zelensky has vowed to
reclaim the peninsula as part of his nation. Following the breakup of
the Soviet Union, Crimea was declared Ukraine's, which has led some to
speculate that Lavrov may have hinted that Russia could be willing to
give up the region.

Katz said that while Crimea was a province of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist
Republic in 1990, he has a feeling that "Lavrov's statement might not be
definitive, and that there may be further 'clarification' about it that
is not so generous toward Ukraine.

"Still, if Moscow just wants to end the war, it may be able to portray
forestalling Ukraine from joining NATO as a victory even if it means
renouncing Russian claims to occupied Ukrainian territory.

"But I'm not sure Putin can do this as it would raise the question of
whether the enormous casualties experienced by Russian forces in this
conflict were worth such an agreement—assuming that Ukraine and NATO
governments would agree to it."

David Silbey, an associate professor of history at Cornell and director
of teaching and learning at Cornell in Washington, told Newsweek that he
found Lavrov's statement and how it relates to Crimea "ambiguous, which
is interesting in and of itself.

"It would have been easy for Lavrov to make the distinction clear, but
he didn't, and he wouldn't do something like this without having
clearance from Putin. They both have to know that this would immediately
raise questions about Crimea."

Even if Russia isn't willing to return Crimea to Ukraine, Lavrov's
comments could be interpreted to mean Putin might relinquish his claim
to the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. A year ago,
Putin announced that the four Ukrainian regions were annexed to Russia
in a move that the international community called illegitimate.

"In terms of the four territories, I think, yes, it does suggest that
the Russians are willing to give them back," Silbey said.

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affable699
14 hours ago

"Lavrov told reporters that in 1991, Moscow "recognized the sovereignty
of Ukraine on the basis of the Declaration of Independence, which it
adopted upon leaving the USSR.".

And they broke that deal and it was a deal that was signed by Russia,
Ukraine, the U.S. and the U.K. for purposes of imperiali...

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Michaelandolga
19 hours ago

As we begin to get into the Fall and Winter in Ukraine, I suspect
Russia’s soldiers will fare even more poorly than they did last winter.

Russia is running into a bare cupboards problem, running short of nearly
everything. Add to that abysmal morale and it will be a bleak winter
indeed for Russian s...

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87

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Florrie
17 hours ago

Yup, the cold winds of fear are swirling along the corridors of the
kremlin. That's why lying lavrov has been told to run this maskirovka
operation.

The bad news for russia is that there will be no negotiations. There's
no need for them. The position has long been made clear and unambiguous.
The ter...

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28

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2 replies

USDeclines2023
18 hours ago

If that was really the offer, Ukraine should grab the chance. Being used
as a tool by the US to fight Russia cannot last forever. The US is
running out of money and weapons. So are the rest of NATO's members.
There's no way that Ukraine can win. Russia is not running out of
weapons and they are pre...

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Hannibal Barca
20 hours ago

NO, just No.

Russia will back down, rearm and try again and again. It cannot be trusted.

Keep the pressure on, until the original borders are reinstated and
secured. No need for heroics.

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98

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Rick From CT
16 hours ago

I agree, Putin needs to be seen as so weakened that he couldn't attempt
to retake Ukraine even if he wanted to. Then, Russia will need a new
president.

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39

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konck
16 hours ago

Echo. Ukraine without the backing of NATO is a punching bag, little hope
of re naturalizing citizens including children, suing for reparations,
and bringing war criminals to accountability.

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John
18 hours ago

NATO was never the issue in the first place. This is a trick to get
Ukraine into a cease fire so the Russians can re-group and re-supply for
a spring offensive. Too much is being read into Lavrov's informal remark.

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GoldToast
20 hours ago

ruzzia's hurting. The talks with Kim may have not gone as expected and
they can't afford politically to have another mass mobilization.

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DragonDuck
20 hours ago

The world laughed at Russian demands in late 2021 when they first made them.

Now Russia wants to make the same demands again after losing nearly
300,000 soldiers, hundreds of billions in military equipment, and
ruining its economy.

How about... "nyet"?

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TheRepublicIsDead
4 minutes ago

These are not the same demands. The Donbass, Crimea, Zaporizhe and
Kherson are now part of the Russian Federation. That means Russia will
only withdraw from Kharkov. And NATO has to bail out.

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Ghem Nemik
20 hours ago

No. Agreeing to that would allow Russia to regroup and do it again.

Reply

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Reality Sets In
20 hours ago

This is why they are offering it. They already know they can’t win, and
are looking for a way out.

"a425couple" wrote in message news:TpZQM.181118$_Lv6.23209@fx12.iad...

from
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-may-have-just-given-ukraine-terms-ending-war-1829980

------------------

That sounds like trying to salvage something before they collapse and lose
everything. In 1918 and 1944 Germany faked the appearance of strength before
suddenly falling back toward their borders.

On 9/27/23 10:38, Jim Wilkins wrote:
> "a425couple"  wrote in message news:TpZQM.181118$_Lv6.23209@fx12.iad...
>
> from
> https://www.newsweek.com/russia-may-have-just-given-ukraine-terms-ending-war-1829980
>
> ------------------
>
> That sounds like trying to salvage something before they collapse and
> lose everything. In 1918 and 1944 Germany faked the appearance of
> strength before suddenly falling back toward their borders.
>

Perhaps.....
I doubt Russia will suddenly "collapse".

I think they can continue for a long long time really hurting little
Ukraine. I think Russia has seriously harmed itself and it's future,
but will continue if Putin feels it's needed.

If Russia will pull back out of Ukraine's borders and quit the
missile and drone strikes,,, what's not to like?

I agree and understand, that Ukraine and none of the rest of the
world can depend on Russia or Putin's words or promises.

But Ukraine has already shown they do not need to be members
of NATO to get enough aid to bust many of the bear's teeth
and snap off fingers and claws.

"a425couple" wrote in message news:br%QM.200958$Hih7.121821@fx11.iad...

On 9/27/23 10:38, Jim Wilkins wrote:
> "a425couple" wrote in message news:TpZQM.181118$_Lv6.23209@fx12.iad...
>
> from
> https://www.newsweek.com/russia-may-have-just-given-ukraine-terms-ending-war-1829980
>
> ------------------
>
> That sounds like trying to salvage something before they collapse and lose
> everything. In 1918 and 1944 Germany faked the appearance of strength
> before suddenly falling back toward their borders.
>

Perhaps.....
I doubt Russia will suddenly "collapse".
-----------------------------------------
In WW1 both Germany and Russia collapsed in part because the government lost
enough support that rebellions from within could threaten to take them down.
A military takeover of the government is much easier than victory in the
field, an example that might have is Wagner's aborted march on Moscow.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mussolini-falls-from-power
https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/japanese-history-biographies/hideki-tojo
"But in July 1945, U.S. troops defeated the Japanese on Saipan (part of the
Marianas island chain in the South Pacific) putting American bomber planes
in range of the main Japanese islands. .. Tojo now came under great pressure
to leave the government, and on July 18 he resigned. Harshly criticized by
the public, who blamed him for Japan's problems, he and his wife retired to
private life."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdication_of_Wilhelm_II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdication_of_Nicholas_II
The moderate (Menshevik) Communist Kerensky took charge and tried to
continue the war but couldn't muster enough support, enabling a second
revolution by Lenin and the Bolsheviks.

Commando leader Otto Skorzeny took part in two coups and temporarily
reversed a third by rescuing Mussolini. He personally subdued a coup in
Austria and inflicted one on Hungary by the ruse of marching into the
government castle with an "escort" parade to remove the German delegation, a
parade without end that soon included tanks.