Russia demands ironclad guarantees in peace treaty with Ukraine

KYIV - Russia will seek “ironclad” guarantees in any peace deal on Ukraine that Nato nations will exclude Kyiv from membership and that Ukraine will remain neutral, a Russian deputy foreign minister said in remarks published on March 17.

US President Donald Trump is trying to win Russian President Vladimir Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week and which Mr Putin says needs to meet crucial conditions to be acceptable.

Mr Trump is expected to speak with Mr Putin this week on ways to end the three-year war in Ukraine, US envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN on March 16 after returning from what he described as a “positive” meeting with Mr Putin in Moscow.

In a broad-ranging interview with the Russian media outlet Izvestia that made no reference to the ceasefire proposal, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that any long-lasting peace treaty on Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demands.

“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Izvestia cited Mr Grushko as saying.

“Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine, the refusal of Nato countries to accept it into the alliance.”

Moscow is categorically against the deployment of Nato observers to Ukraine, Mr Grushko also reiterated.

Britain and France both have said that they were willing to send a peacekeeping force to monitor any ceasefire in Ukraine. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country was also open to requests.

“It does not matter under what label Nato contingents were to be deployed on Ukrainian territory, be it the European Union, Nato, or in a national capacity,” Mr Grushko said.

“If they appear there, it means that they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict.”

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