Moscow: Zelensky Sabotaging US-Led Peace Push with Unrealistic Demands

By Staff, Agencies

Russia has accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of obstructing US efforts to broker a settlement to the Ukraine conflict by clinging to what Moscow describes as impractical preconditions for negotiations.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Monday, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, said the administration of US President Donald Trump has been attempting to facilitate a compromise solution, but that Zelensky’s insistence on so-called “red lines” ignores realities on the ground.

Nebenzia argued that by responding to US proposals with rigid demands, Zelensky is effectively undermining Washington’s mediation role. He warned that unless the Ukrainian leader agrees to what Moscow considers realistic negotiating terms, Russia will continue pursuing its objectives through military means.

“He was warned long ago,” Nebenzia said, adding that the longer Kiev delays negotiations, the harsher the eventual terms will become.

The Russian envoy further claimed that the current Ukrainian leadership is entrenched in “terrorism, corruption, and lawlessness,” accusing it of prioritizing the extraction of foreign financial aid for personal and political gain. He said Western states that overlook what he described as Ukrainian crimes bear shared responsibility.

As an example, Nebenzia pointed to New Year’s Eve drone strikes on a café in the resort town of Khorly, which he said killed 29 civilians and wounded more than 30 others, describing the attack as a deliberate strike on non-military targets.

He also rejected a joint French-British proposal to deploy NATO forces to Ukraine following a peace agreement, stressing that NATO’s eastward expansion remains one of the core drivers of the conflict from Russia’s perspective.