Russia tells UN West must stop arming Ukraine during any ceasefire

By Michelle Nichols

Russia is prepared to consider a ceasefire in Ukraine to pave the way for a lasting settlement, but during any truce Moscow wants Western states to stop arming Kyiv and for Ukraine to stop mobilising troops, Russia's U.N. ambassador said on Friday.

However, Vassily Nebenzia told the U.N. Security Council that a simple ceasefire was not enough to end Moscow's more than three-year war in Ukraine.

"To achieve a sustainable and lasting settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, we need to address its root causes," Nebenzia said. "What we're proposing is a second round of talks in Istanbul this coming Monday ... where we can exchange memoranda about both parties' approaches to the negotiations process."

The United States wants Russia to agree to a comprehensive 30-day land, air, sea and critical infrastructure ceasefire. A first round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine on May 16 failed to yield a truce deal.

A U.S. diplomat told the Security Council on Friday: "We share the concern expressed by other members of this council that Russia could be uninterested in peace and instead bent on achieving a military victory."

Moscow initially said its combat mission was to "disarm" Ukraine so it could not be a threat to Russia, and "denazify" it by rooting out leaders it characterized as nationalists. Western countries believe Russia's true initial aims were to defeat Ukraine's military and overthrow its pro-Western government.

"We will continue fighting for as long as that's necessary - no threats to our borders, no anti-Russian, neo-Nazi education in neighbouring countries. We won't allow for any of that to happen," Nebenzia said.