Russian foreign minister: Ceasefire would preserve 'Nazi strongholds' in Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Thursday that a ceasefire along the front line would allow Nazi strongholds in Ukraine to persist and expand. In an interview with Russia's Vesti news agency, Lavrov elaborated that freezing hostilities would result in the continuation of these Nazi strongholds. He further claimed that if a ceasefire were implemented, it would mirror the Minsk agreements, which were initially designed to deliver weapons to Ukraine, as acknowledged by the German chancellor and French president.

Lavrov emphasized that this would entail agreeing to a ceasefire while maintaining the Nazi regime on the other side of the line of contact, which he identified as the sole regime in the world that legally prohibits an entire language. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov affirmed that the conditions for halting hostilities were previously outlined by the Russian Foreign Ministry two years ago, asserting that they remain clear and that fighting could cease if Kyiv's authorities take the appropriate actions.