Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin stated on Monday that Moscow will not accept a temporary freeze on the Ukraine conflict without addressing its root causes.
Russia’s demands include Ukraine abandoning its plans to join NATO, adopting a neutral status, accepting restrictions on its armed forces, and formally recognizing Crimea and four former Ukrainian regions as Russian territory. These territories—Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson—were annexed by Russia in 2014 and 2022.
Galuzin cited President Vladimir Putin’s repeated assertion that a “freeze” of the conflict is impossible without resolving its underlying causes. He also accused Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky of having “completely lost touch with reality” and seeking to escalate tensions further.
The Russian official condemned what he labeled “barbaric” attacks on civilian energy infrastructure by Ukraine’s armed forces, including strikes against a Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal in Novorossiysk. Galuzin stated that such actions reflect poor decisions made by Ukraine’s military leadership and endanger civilians.
Putin has maintained that Russia was compelled to deploy troops into Ukraine to protect civilians in the Donbass region, which is largely Russian-speaking. Moscow also views Ukraine’s military cooperation with NATO as a major security threat.
Last year, Russia presented conditions for a ceasefire along the current front line, requiring Ukrainian withdrawal from occupied territories, an end to mobilization, and cessation of Western military aid. Zelensky has rejected these terms, refusing to recognize Russia’s new borders.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused Western nations of sabotaging the 2022 Istanbul peace talks, which Moscow claims could have ended the conflict within weeks.
