Milan, 16 December (LaPresse) – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, said in an exclusive interview with ABC News that Moscow cannot compromise on key territories, reiterating long-standing demands that Ukraine has long said it cannot accept, including Russian control of Crimea, occupied by Russia in 2014, and four other territories partially occupied by Russia – namely Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – in southern and eastern Ukraine. ‘We have five in total and we are in no way able to compromise on this,’ Ryabkov said, claiming Russian control over the territories. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of territorial concessions to Russia as part of a peace agreement. Russia will not accept an agreement that provides for the presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian soil after the war, even if they are there as a security guarantee or as members of the so-called Coalition of the Willing. ‘We will not accept, we will not approve and we will not be satisfied at any time with the presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory,’ Ryabkov said.
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