Ukraine must demilitarise or Russia will do it: Lavrov

Sergey Lavrov also accused the West of fueling the war in Ukraine to weaken Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on December 27 warned that Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demand for “demilitarisation” and “denazification,” as well as the removal of the military threat to Russia, otherwise “the Russian army (will) solve the issue.”

Sergey Lavrov also accused the West of fueling the war in Ukraine to weaken Russia, and said that it depends on Kyiv and Washington how long the conflict, which started on Feb. 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine, will last.

“As for the duration of the conflict, the ball is on the side of the (Kyiv) regime and Washington that stands behind its back,” Mr. Lavrov told the state Tass news agency. “They may stop senseless resistance at any moment.”

Mr. Lavrov's comments come a day after Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the Associated Press in an interview that his government wants a summit to end the war but that he doesn’t anticipate Russia taking part.

Mr. Kuleba said Ukraine wants a “peace” summit within two months with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres acting as mediator. But he also said that Russia must face a war crimes tribunal before before his country directly talks with Moscow.

Both statements illustrate how complex and difficult any attempts to end the war could be. Ukraine has said in the past that it wouldn't negotiate with Russia before the full withdrawal of its troops, while Moscow insists its military gains and the 2014 annexation of the Crimea Peninsula cannot be ignored.

Meanwhile, fierce fighting continued on Tuesday in the Russia-claimed Donetsk and Luhansk regions that recently have been the scene of the most intense clashes.