Russia Tacks on Another Demand for Ukraine in Exchange for Peace

A Kremlin official on Wednesday laid out a new condition that he said must be in place before Russia's war in Ukraine can end.

During a press conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the conflict would only cease when Ukraine is no longer a military threat to Russia. Lavrov also said that his country's security concerns is one of the main reasons for the ongoing war, which began with Russia's invasion last February 24.

"Ukraine, like any other territory bordering Russia, of course, should not host military infrastructure that poses a direct threat to our country," Lavrov said when discussing what would be needed to end the war, according to the Russian state-controlled media outlet RT.

He also reportedly added that "the goals of the special military operation are not fictional, not plucked out of thin air" but are "defined by fundamental, legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation."

Lavrov's comments came as speculation continues that Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon initiate another mobilization of troops in order to mount a new offensive in Ukraine.

A Tuesday assessment from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank reported that recent signs in Russia suggest Putin might announce a second mobilization wave in the coming days, and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on the same day announced he will follow a Putin directive to conduct large-scale military reforms over the next few years. Shoigu said the reforms include overseeing military forces expanding to 1.5 million troops from the current 1.35 million.

In the weeks leading up to the new year, officials from Ukraine and Russia suggested they would be open to peace negotiations. However, any real chance of peace talks failed to gain momentum as the sides disagreed on basic issues such as the recognition of four Ukrainian territories—Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia—that Putin illegitimately annexed in September.

On Wednesday, Lavrov suggested that the two sides continue to remain far away from potential negations and derided the 10-point peace plan Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first outlined in November's G20 summit.

"Zelensky puts forward completely absurd initiatives, like a 10-point plan, where everything is piled up—food security, energy security, biological security, withdrawal of Russian troops from everywhere, Russia's repentance, tribunal and condemnation," Lavrov said, according to TASS, another Russian state-controlled news outlet.

TASS further reported that Lavrov said peace talks are stalling because of Zelensky.

"At least because he [Zelensky] legally forbade negotiations with the Russian government," Lavrov said.

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