The head of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, said Thursday that the West should initiate negotiations to avoid “destruction of the Ukrainian population”, according to Russian agencies.
“Given the current situation on the ground, which is not favorable to the kyiv regime, the West finds itself faced with a choice: continue its financial support for Ukraine, with the risk of destroying its population, or accept existing realities and initiate negotiations,” he said at a meeting of security officials from countries neighboring Russia.
Former Minister of Defense until May 2024, Mr. Shoigu also accused the West of using kyiv to weaken Russia. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his offensive in February 2022, Ukraine has benefited from significant Western military support, which has enabled it to resist.
However, over the past year, the Ukrainian army, faced with a better equipped and more numerous Russian army, has suffered setbacks on the ground. The loss of territory has intensified this fall, as Western support appears to be waning.
Russia, which carries out daily bombings against Ukrainian cities, demands that kyiv surrender, cede five regions, renounce its alliance with the West and abandon its plan to join NATO. For their part, the United States and European countries affirm their unwavering support for Ukraine, but oppose the use of the weapons provided to strike Russian territory and to shoot down Russian aircraft targeting Ukrainian cities, for fear of an escalation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly criticized the Western position, recalling that Moscow continues its intensification of hostilities, in particular by the alleged sending of thousands of North Korean soldiers to reinforce the Russian combat lines in Ukraine.
