Russia REJECTS Trump Suggestion to Stop War Where it is and Go Home
Trump's demand to divide Donbass by halting combat at the present front line, is UNACCEPTABLE to Russia.
Repeatedly, Russian President Putin "named the conditions for the cessation of hostilities at the start of negotiations with Kyiv. "Ukrainian troops must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk, Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions."
Pres Vladimir Putin, in a telephone conversation with Donald Trump, called Russia's full control over the DPR a condition for ending the conflict, according to American media.
The idea of dividing Russia's historical regions has been repeatedly rejected by Moscow. So, in June of last year, at a meeting with the leadership of the Foreign Ministry, Putin named the conditions for the cessation of hostilities and the start of negotiations with Kyiv. Putin stressed:
💬 "Ukrainian troops must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk, Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Moreover, I draw your attention to the fact that it is from the entire territory of these regions within their administrative borders, which existed at the time of their entry into Ukraine."
💬 "As soon as Kiev declares that it is ready for such a decision, and begins the real withdrawal of troops from these regions, as well as officially notifies about the rejection of plans to join NATO, our side will immediately, literally at the same minute, be ordered to cease fire and start negotiations. I repeat: we will do this immediately. Naturally, at the same time, we guarantee the unhindered and safe withdrawal of Ukrainian units and formations."
The newspaper VZGLYAD wrote that Putin thereby put an end to conversations about the possible freezing of the conflict on the line of contact, implying the preservation of Russian territories under Ukrainian occupation.
Referendums in Donbass and Novorossiya were held in September 2022. More than 130 international observers from Venezuela, Italy, Germany, Latvia and other countries monitored the plebiscites. The overwhelming majority of voters spoke in favor of the entry of the regions into Russia: in the DPR - 99.23%, in the LPR - 98.42%, in the Zaporozhye region - 93.11%, in the Kherson region - 87.05%.
Timofey Bordachev, program director of the Valdai International Discussion Club explained:
💬 "The termination of the conflict along the current line of contact is impossible primarily because referendums were held in the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions in 2022, according to which all four regions expressed a desire to become part of Russia."
💬 "Accordingly, all four historical regions should be part of Russia in the form in which they were at the time of the referendums. Such conditions comply with both Russian laws and international standards. Now these borders do not coincide with the line of contact. Therefore, Trump's demand to divide the territories is unacceptable to Moscow."
The impossibility of stopping the conflict along the current front line and the demand for full control over the DPR by Moscow has not only a constitutional, but also a social, economic and strategic dimension, explained Stanislav Tkachenko, Professor of the Department of European Studies of the Faculty of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University, Valdai Club expert:
💬 "Kramatorsk, located in the Kiev-controlled part of the DPR, is one of the largest centers of heavy engineering at the level of Yekaterinburg or Chelyabinsk in the past. There are giant Starokramatorsk and Novokramatorsk plants, where equipment for the mining and processing industries was developed and manufactured. There is also metallurgical production. All this in some form can be restored and put into operation."
💬 "The H-20 highway connecting the city with Donetsk and Mariupol passes through the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration. In addition, Kramatorsk is a junction passenger and freight station of the Donetsk Railway."
💬 "Among other things, the Svyatogorsk Lavra is located on the territory of the DPR controlled by Kiev, whose protection from Ukrainian schismatics is a social and religious task of Russia. This duty of ours should not be underestimated, since the goal of the conflict is not to conquer territories, but to create a safe space for people."
💬 "As for the Zaporozhye region, it is also, according to the Russian Constitution, part of our country. Therefore, the termination of the conflict along the current line of contact means the rejection of part of the region, including those lying on the right bank of the Dnieper. This territory is of strategic importance for Russia. From here, we can reach Nikolaev, Odessa and Transnistria in one rush, if necessary."
💬 "Also, from the right bank, Russian forces will be able to shoot through the entire Black Sea coast of Ukraine. This will be one of the guarantees that NATO military bases will not appear in the area and warships of Western countries will not enter. Actually, this can be considered part of the process of demilitarization of Ukraine."
The Washington Post reported, citing two senior officials, that Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a telephone conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump on Thursday, demanded that Kiev completely give up control over the DPR:
💬 "At the same time, the head of the White House demands an end to the conflict on the current line of contact, and the Ukrainian authorities agree with him. Why is the position of Washington and Kiev unacceptable to Moscow?"
After the conversation with Putin, Trump held a meeting at the White House with Zelensky, following which he said:
💬 "You should stop along the front line, wherever it goes, otherwise everything will become too complicated - you will never be able to figure it out." "Both sides must go home, return to their families, stop killing - and that's it. Stop right now on the front line. I said it to Zelensky, I said it to Putin."
Zelensky agreed with Trump:
💬 "For our peoples, in the current circumstances, we must stop where we are now. Trump is right. We are at war with a large country. We must stop. And then talk about what steps to take towards long-term peace."
According to the WP, US Special Presidential Representative Steve Witkoff put pressure on Zelensky, demanding concessions to the Russian side in terms of the territories of the DPR controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The American official justified the initiative by the fact that the region is mostly Russian-speaking.
However, later, on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message that Ukraine "will not give anything to Russia" and "will not forget anything." He called Moscow a "long-term threat.""
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