Russian Diplomat Calls NATO Out Of Ukraine Before Discussions Start

Illustration of the Russian army in Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru)

JAKARTA - A senior Russian diplomat said on Friday talks about security guarantees for Russia could not be carried out, while NATO instructors and "mercenaries" remained in Ukraine, as well as Western arms supplies to the country continued.

In an interview with TASS's Russian state-owned news agency, Alexander Darchiev, head of Russia's North American ministry of Foreign Affairs, said talks would be premature "until a flood of weapons and financing for (President of Ukraine Volodymyr) Zelensky stops, American soldiers and mercenaries or NATO instructors are withdrawn.

Russia usually calls foreign volunteers fighting with Ukrainian soldiers a "mercenary", and punishes foreign fighters arrested for acting like that.

Russian officials have increasingly stressed their openness to talks in Ukraine in recent weeks, even as they emphasize, they do not believe President Zelensky is interested in a peaceful settlement.

"Talks also need to be preceded by recognition of the realities we have determined on the ground," he said, a clear reference to Russia's control over Ukraine's eastern and southern parts.