Recognition of Crimea and Donbas: Medinsky Outlines Demands

Medinsky has spoken about the progress of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. On March 25, Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation in negotiations with Ukraine, stated that Moscow insists on a comprehensive treaty, taking into account its 'vital' positions.

“We insist on a comprehensive treaty that, in addition to Ukraine's neutral status and security guarantees for Ukraine, includes a number of positions that are vital for our country - demilitarization, denazification, recognition of Crimea and Donbas, as well as a number of other contractual positions, which I believe would make the signing of the agreement unlikely without taking them into account,” Medinsky told reporters.

He added that the Ukrainian side is “primarily concerned about receiving security guarantees from third parties if Ukraine does not join NATO.” On March 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine were progressing with difficulty, as Kyiv constantly changes its position.