Moscow still wants a pro-Russian regime in Kyiv: NATO assesses talks

According to the North Atlantic Alliance's intelligence assessment of the negotiation process, Moscow still wants to establish a pro-Russian regime in Kyiv. This, as reported the LIGA.net's correspondent in Brussels, a senior NATO official said on December 2 at a briefing before a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers.

"Russia still wants to see a change of government in Ukraine in the near future, despite the fact that Ukrainians are unlikely to ever elect a pro-Russian government. Coupled with its [Russia's] vague cultural requirements for Ukraine's internal actions, this means that Russia will try to reinstate its proxies and interfere in the internal political processes after a [peace] agreement is reached," he said.

Regarding the talks, the top official called the situation "very dynamic," adding that the Alliance is now focusing on supporting Ukraine "in the only way that will ensure a lasting peaceful settlement, and that is by convincing [the dictator] Vladimir Putinhe cannot win on the battlefield."

"We obviously see progress and appreciate the efforts of the negotiators to break the deadlock. And although a lot can change at the negotiating table, at the moment, perhaps, we still don't see any signs that Russia's position has changed or that it is ready to make any significant concessions," the official emphasized.

He recalled Putin's recent statements, which "clearly showed" that Russia's demands for Ukrainian territories remain unchanged, as do the dictator's calls for Kyiv's "neutrality" and his complaints about the so-called root causes of the war.

"Moscow insists on the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from all five regions it claims, including the territories it does not [currently] occupy and does not pay off in the short or medium term", the top official added (judging by the context, this refers to Moscow's claims to Ukrainian Crimea and four regions that it illegally added to its Constitution – Ed.)

The official also added that Russia will seek to weaken Ukraine's military capabilities as much as possible to "pave the way for further aggression."

This refers to Russia's demand to end Western support for Kyiv and to abandon the idea of a European military presence in Ukraine.

"And finally, of course, we need a clear agreement on conditions, monitoring, verification and credible security guarantees for Ukraine in the future," the senior NATO official concluded.

• The day before, on December 2, Trump's special envoy Witkoff and son-in-law and senior adviser Kushner spoke with Putin for almost five hours in Moscow: as a result, the Kremlin said there was no "compromise plan" regarding the end of the war.
• The next day, foreign minister Sybiha said that Ukraine had been in contact with the United States after their talks in Moscow – Washington is positive about the talks with Putin and invited a Ukrainian delegation to visit America in the near future.
• The NATO Secretary General said that if the negotiation process is fruitless or takes too long, the best way to put pressure on Russia would be to further military assistance to Kyiv and sanctions against Moscow.