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Military operation in Ukraine

Analyst says Lavrov signals Russia will set new conditions for Kiev if they hold talks

On February 24 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics

MOSCOW, July 20. /TASS/. Statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the expansion of the geographic goals of the special military operation in Ukraine signal that Russia, if it holds talks with Kiev, will insist not only on recognition of Crimea’s status and independence of the Donbass republics, but also other territories, the deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries think tank, Vladimir Zharikhin, told TASS on Wednesday.

"Certainly, the minister's words [about expanding the geographic goals of the special operation] mean that talks with Kiev will not only be about the territory of Crimea, the republics of Donbass. The fact that Russian leaders are being appointed in the territories taken by the armed forces of the Russian Federation suggests that so it will be," he said. Zharikhin said the areas could be the Zaporozhye, Kherson and Kharkov region.

"Based on the fact that Russian troops are stationed there," he said.

The analyst said there are no Russian troops yet in the Odessa and Nikolayev regions, so it’s too early to make conclusions about those areas.

"The statements of the foreign minister don’t suggest that the goals of the special operation will be pursued in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. There are no other sources of information other than speculation yet," he said.

On February 24 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow aims to demilitarize and de-Nazify the country. The West retaliated to the Russian decision by imposing sweeping sanctions on the country. Also, Western countries started shipments of weapons to Kiev, which by now are worth billions of dollars.

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov Military operation in Ukraine

Military operation in Ukraine

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