Russia is not ready to make any territorial concessions in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said today, quoted by TASS, BTA reports.
The agency notes that Ryabkov was referring to Donbas, Crimea and the territory that Moscow calls "Novorossiya" (Zaporozhye and Kherson regions - ed. note).
He pointed out that in 2022, as a result of referendums, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions became an integral part of Russia.
These referendums are not recognized by Kiev and the West.
"Currently, four subjects are obtained that are an integral part of the Russian Federation. I am not talking about Crimea. This story, as we all remember, refers to 2014. So in total we have five subjects and in no case can we compromise on them, because in our opinion this will be a revision of a very fundamental element of our statehood, enshrined in our constitution," the deputy minister emphasized in an interview with ABC News.
At the same time, according to Ryabkov, "what will be the result of our negotiations with the US administration is an open question".
Ryabkov added that Moscow still does not understand the agreements reached by the US, Ukraine and the European Union in Berlin, Russian news agencies reported.
Moscow will not agree to the deployment of troops of Western countries in Ukraine in any form, including within NATO, Ryabkov emphasized in the interview. When asked whether Russia would be ready to deploy European forces in Ukraine outside of NATO, Ryabkov replied: "No, no, and once again no".
The Russian side still does not understand how the negotiations between the Ukrainian, American, and European delegations at the conflict settlement meeting held in Berlin ended, Ryabkov noted.
"We do not understand what happened there", the deputy minister emphasized.
The first round of negotiations between the US and Ukrainian delegations was held in Berlin on December 14 and lasted about 5 hours. The parties continued negotiations on Monday morning, with the meeting lasting about 2 hours. The US delegation included President's special envoy Stephen Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian side was represented by Volodymyr Zelensky, Secretary of the Security Council Rustem Umerov, and Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Andriy Gnatov.
The leaders of 10 European countries, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, met in Berlin on Monday to support the talks between the United States and Ukraine.
In the interview, Ryabkov added that Russia welcomes the efforts of the administration of US President Donald Trump to overcome the Ukrainian conflict and is itself striving to resolve it.
According to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Moscow firmly adheres to the understandings reached at the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump in Anchorage.