The Kremlin asks for the impossible, knowing that Ukraine will turn down its new old terms.

The Russian diplomatic service laid out the conditions under which the war in Ukraine must end, asking basically the same things as before the invasion and adding more ones such as "new territorial realities."

On 27 May, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Mikhail Galuzin listed Russia's peace terms in an interview with TASS, Russia's official news agency: 

• Ukraine stops the armed resistance
• Western allies stop supplying weapons to Ukraine
• Legislation of Ukraine’s neutral status
• Upgrading Russian to the status of official language in Ukraine
• Ukraine kills aspiration to join NATO
• Ukraine withdraws its application to join the EU
• Recognition of the new territorial realities (concession of the occupied lands to Russia).

These demands leave an impression that Russia is winning the war, which is not true.

More to read:
What are the odds (and consequences) of Russia’s disintegration?

Interestingly, earlier in time, Moscow had not demanded an official status for Russian language and had not opposed Ukraine becoming a member of the European Union. President Vladimir Putin even admitted that Ukraine would become an EU member one day.

An official in the Kiev government reiterated in reply that Russia must immediately withdraw its troops from all Ukrainian lands, surrender the war criminals, and pay the reparations.