MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Russia's plans to settle the situation around Ukraine are based on realities and reflect its unwavering determination to defend the country's core interests, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters.

"If Mr. [Special Envoy for Ukraine of the next US leader Keith] Kellogg is going to rely on common sense in his constructs of the future in some way, he will merely have to operate under the set of ideas we have proposed. They come from life, they come from reality, they reflect our unwavering determination to stand up for our core interests, including our security concerns. So, we cannot deviate from this line," he said.

On November 27, US President-elect Donald Trump nominated Kellogg to be his assistant and US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg favors a negotiated settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. He suggested persuading Moscow and Kiev to resume the dialogue and freeze the current frontline.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier set forth the conditions for resolving the situation in Ukraine, which include Ukraine withdrawing troops from Donbass and Novorossiya and abandoning plans to join NATO. Moscow also believes that all Western sanctions on Russia must be removed and Ukraine’s non-bloc and non-nuclear status must be guaranteed.