SECURITY: Moscow Continues To Place Conditions On Ceasefire With Ukraine

The Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, told the UN Security Council today that Moscow is prepared to consider a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine but will need to address the 'root causes' of the conflict to ensure a sustainable peace. 

• Nebenzia said: "To achieve a sustainable and lasting settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, we need to address its root causes. What we're proposing is a second round of talks in Istanbul this coming Monday ... where we can exchange memoranda about both parties' approaches to the negotiations process."
• The ‘root causes’ are likely to include a range of measures that will be unpalatable to the Ukrainian side, including a long-term pledge from Kyiv to abandon its NATO aspirations and steps to demilitarise Ukraine.
• Reuters reports that, “during any truce, Moscow wants Western states to stop arming Kyiv and for Ukraine to stop mobilising troops”. This would likely be a non-starter for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,y who has escalated efforts with European partners this month to supply additional military hardware.
• Nebenzia added: "We will continue fighting for as long as that's necessary - no threats to our borders, no anti-Russian, neo-Nazi education in neighbouring countries. We won't allow for any of that to happen,"
• A US diplomat told the UNSC: "We share the concern expressed by other members of this council that Russia could be uninterested in peace and instead bent on achieving a military victory."