The Kremlin’s territorial and political demands far exceed the officially stated limits regarding Donbas presented to the West. This conclusion was reached by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Source: Gazeta.UA
According to ISW, Moscow’s public signals about readiness for a peaceful settlement are aimed at forcing Ukraine and the West to agree to capitulation terms. Russia’s chief negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, claims that withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Donbas could be a path to peace. At the same time, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov publicly discusses creating buffer zones in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, indicating broader Kremlin ambitions.
Russia is making demands not only to Ukraine but also to NATO. Head of Russian intelligence Sergey Naryshkin states that any settlement must “eliminate the root causes” of the war, justifying aggression and pressure on the Alliance. State Duma deputy Alexey Zhuravlyov emphasizes that Donbas is not the main issue, focusing instead on limiting NATO expansion and combating “neo-Nazism” in Ukraine.
ISW analysts note that even a complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas would not stop Russia. In Russian state and ultranationalist media, including Tsargrad, materials are published outlining the Kremlin’s next demands: “denazification,” “demilitarization,” and full control over Ukraine’s political course.
ISW emphasizes that the Kremlin’s strategic goal is not peace, but the full capitulation of Ukraine and a change in Europe’s security architecture.
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