{"id":201009,"date":"2025-06-20T22:38:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T22:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/201009\/"},"modified":"2025-06-20T22:38:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T22:38:12","slug":"ukraine-must-accept-moscows-demands-or-surrender-russias-ambassador-to-uk-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/201009\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine must accept Moscow’s demands or ‘surrender,’ Russia\u2019s ambassador to UK says"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ukraine must accept Moscow’s terms for ending the war or face further military advances and eventual “surrender,” Russia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, said in a June 18 interview with CNN.<\/p>\n

Talking to CNN host Christiane Amanpour, Kelin said Russia is continuing<\/a> its offensive and sees no need to stop hostilities, publicly acknowledging Moscow’s disregard for U.S.-backed ceasefire efforts.<\/p>\n

The comments come as Russia continues to reject a U.S. truce proposal backed by Kyiv and only intensifies both ground operations and aerial strikes against Ukrainian cities. <\/p>\n

“We are now on the offensive and Ukraine<\/a> is in retreat,” Kelin said. “In May, we have taken about 600 square kilometers (230 square miles) of the territory of Ukraine, and we continue to gain more ground.”<\/p>\n

According to the open-source intelligence group DeepState<\/a>, Russian forces occupied approximately 449 square kilometers (173 square miles) in May, the highest monthly figure this year, but still well below Kelin’s claim. <\/p>\n

Kelin outlined an ultimatum for Kyiv: either agree to a permanent ceasefire on Russia’s terms or face worse consequences. <\/p>\n

“For Ukraine, there is a choice: either they will take our conditions right now\u2026 or we will continue this drive and Ukraine will have to surrender under much worse conditions,” he said.<\/p>\n

In the most recent peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2, Russia again pressed its longstanding maximalist demands<\/a>, including recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, as well as Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts \u2014 none of which are fully under Moscow’s control. <\/p>\n

The Kremlin also insists on Ukraine’s complete military withdrawal from these regions.<\/p>\n

The ambassador’s remarks come amid reported preparations for a third round of negotiations <\/a>with Ukraine after June 22, though no date has been officially confirmed. Kelin described the talks<\/a> as “stage by stage,” citing prior agreements on prisoner exchanges<\/a> and humanitarian issues.<\/p>\n

Kelin also reiterated long-standing Kremlin demands for Ukraine’s neutrality and the prohibition of NATO<\/a> membership, calling the alliance “very threatening to us.” <\/p>\n

The ambassador insisted on “reestablishment of normal human rights” for ethnic minorities in Ukraine, including Russians, Hungarians, and Poles, a claim Kyiv and Western officials have repeatedly dismissed as a false pretext for invasion.<\/p>\n

CNN’s host challenged Kelin on whether such terms amounted to capitulation rather than negotiation. Kelin denied the characterization, maintaining that talks are ongoing and involve “important agreements.”<\/p>\n

When asked about Russia’s capacity to sustain its military campaign, Kelin claimed Moscow is spending “only 5\u20137%” of its budget on the war<\/a> and recruiting up to 60,000 volunteer soldiers monthly, figures Western analysts have not independently verified.<\/p>\n

“Only 5\u20137%” of the budget accounts for around 13.5 trillion rubles ($126 billion). Russia’s spending on war and law enforcement agencies exceeds<\/a> expenditures on education, healthcare, social policy, and the national economy combined.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Russia just accidentally admitted to its staggering troop losses in Ukraine<\/p>\n

A senior Russian official on June 19 inadvertently confirmed the staggering troop losses incurred by Moscow\u2019s forces during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with CNN, Russian Ambassador to the U.K. Andrey Kelin was asked about Moscow\u2019s maximalist intentions in Ukraine and its ability to recruit enough<\/p>\n

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