Page 29 - RusRPTJan23

2.14 Politics - misc
Russia rules out withdrawal from Ukraine by end of 2022. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Dec. 13 that Kyiv needs to accept new territorial “realities,” dismissing a peace proposal by President Volodymyr Zelensky that would include the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman: Peace possible only if Ukraine agrees to Russia's
annexation of its regions. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that any peace plan should “take into account” Russia’s illegal “annexation” of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson oblasts, Russian news agency RBC reported on Dec. 28.
The Russians are strengthening their defences near the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions. Russian forces continue to build up and consolidate their forces in eastern Ukraine to bolster their defensive capabilities against prolonged Ukrainian counteroffensives near the border of the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions and to support their limited offensive effort in the Donetsk region, said analysts at the ISW.
In addition, it is noted that soldiers from the Wagner group, with the support of units of the 1st and 2nd army corps, bear great responsibility for conducting offensive operations in the Donetsk region, especially around Bakhmut and the western outskirts of Donetsk. The Russian military leadership is still seeking to make additional gains within the Donetsk region, but it is unlikely that the current Russian military strategy will enable Moscow to achieve this goal, the report said.
On December 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the war in Ukraine could last for a long time, but that there was no reason for further military mobilisation, Reuters reported. On the same day Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia remains open to peace talks on “reasonable grounds.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that no talks are possible until Russia first quits Ukrainian territory entirely.
In an interview with the German national weekly Die Zeit published on December 7, Merkel described the conclusion of the Minsk agreements in 2014 as a ploy to buy Ukraine time to build up military strength. She argued that it was clear to everyone that the conflict was stalled and the problem had not been resolved, "but this was what gave Ukraine invaluable time." She doubted whether NATO countries would have been able to provide support to Kyivat that time to the same extent that they are doing now.
White House: Biden has no intentions to talk to Putin for now. US President Joe Biden is not planning to speak to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin
29 RUSSIA Country Report January 2023 www.intellinews.com