Summary
- Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asserts that Ukraine joining NATO would make achieving peace in Ukraine impossible.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin insists on Kyiv abandoning territory claimed by Moscow and dropping its NATO aspirations for peace talks to begin.
- Zakharova emphasizes the importance of Ukraine maintaining a neutral, non-aligned status for just peace in the region.
- The “special military operation” in Ukraine, as described by Moscow, is seen as a response to NATO’s expansion towards Russia.