MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Russia has clearly set the conditions it considers necessary to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Saturday.
"We outlined the conditions we consider absolutely indispensable to resolve this [Ukrainian] crisis, both in the president's speeches and in the statements of our delegation at the negotiations. We believe it indispensable to eliminate the threat that has been created for years by the NATO members on Ukrainian soil against Russia," the top diplomat said.
He recalled that these conditions include the demilitarization of Ukraine, its denazification and a neutral status.
"Well, and, of course, the fact that Crimea has long been part of Russia. This is a fact that must be recognized. And the independence proclaimed by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics within the borders of the respective regions must be recognized as well," the foreign minister stressed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 launched a special military operation in Ukraine following a request for assistance from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He said Moscow had no plans for an occupation of Ukrainian territories. The sole purpose is the country’s demilitarization and denazification.
The Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.