'Hot phase' of war in Ukraine may 'end soon' with new US leadership, Russian UN envoy says
With the Trump administration now in power in the U.S., there is a chance that the "hot phase" of Moscow's war against Ukraine could soon end, Russian UN Representative Vasily Nebeznya said on Feb. 17 as cited by pro-Kremlin outlet Kommersant.
Nebeznya claimed that a ceasefire and freezing hostilities alone would not resolve the conflict, outlining Moscow's conditions for a settlement.
The ambassador's remarks come ahead of talks between Russian and U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia, where both sides are expected to discuss ending the war.
According to Nebeznya, Ukraine should be a "demilitarized, neutral state" outside any alliances, a position Kyiv rejects, warning that without security guarantees, Russia could launch another invasion.
Nebenzya also claimed that Ukraine had "irrevocably lost" Crimea, as well as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the idea of making territorial concessions to Ukraine.
Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in 2022, despite not fully controlling all of them, including the regional capitals of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
The Kremlin has previously said that any peace talks must be based on Ukrainian forces completely withdrawing from the annexed regions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 15 that Russia must pull back its troops to the front line as it was before the full-scale invasion in 2022.
