Russia is promoting a deal on Ukraine “land in exchange for peace” on international platforms, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov said in a column for Ukrayinska Pravda.
According to him, in exchange for ending the war, the Kremlin wants Ukraine to give up its claims to the Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
“The Kremlin is counting in its plans on Ukrainian fatigue, exhaustion of allies and partners, elections in the US and Europe, the economic crisis and the need for Russian resources,” Danilov writes.
China has become a mediator in the negotiations. The highest-ranking diplomat of the Communist Party, former Foreign Minister, and now head of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Yi, announced on February 18 a draft “peace treaty” for Russia and Ukraine with respect for the “sovereignty of all countries.”
A few days later, Wang Yi went to the Munich security conference, where the US warned the allies that China could start supplying “lethal weapons” to Russia.
Disclaiming these accusations, Wang Yi flew to Moscow, where he met with President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin talks were a prelude to a visit to Russia by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who could arrive in late April or early May and, according to The Wall Street Journal sources, intends to discuss non-use of nuclear weapons with Putin.
Putin wants to negotiate a peace on his own terms – with the preservation of the occupied Ukrainian territories, Bloomberg sources close to the Kremlin said in late January. That is why Putin is demanding an offensive from the army and considering the possibility of a new round of mobilization, the sources said: his goal is to show that Russia can regain the initiative on the battlefield, and be in time before Ukraine receives and masters Western tanks and armored vehicles.
Source : The Moscow Times
