Staff Reporter
RUSSIA’s government on Monday approved a list of foreign states and territories that commit unfriendly actions against Russia, its companies, and citizens, according to TASS, a major Russian state-owned news agency.
The list includes the United States and Canada, the EU states, the UK (including Jersey, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar), Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, North Macedonia, and also Japan, South Korea, Australia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan (considered a territory of China, but ruled by its own administration since 1949).
The countries and territories mentioned in the list imposed or joined the sanctions against Russia after the start of a special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, TASS reported.
Russian journalists covering Russia’s war against Ukraine may not use certain words such as war, invasion and attack, according to Roskomnadzor, the Russian government’s media watchdog agency.
Those who spread “false information,” according to the Kremlin, are also liable to prosecution. This includes stating that the Russian army is attacking civilian targets in Ukraine.
TASS published an interview Reuters had with Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov who stated Russia is demanding that Ukraine halt its military activity, enshrine neutrality in its Constitution, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory and recognize independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
Also that Russia is ready to halt its military operation “in any moment” if Kyiv meets its demands.
They should also make amendments to their constitution according to which Ukraine would reject any aims to enter any bloc.
“We have also spoken about how they should recognize that Crimea is Russian territory and that they need to recognize that Donetsk and Lugansk are independent states. And that’s it. It will stop in a moment,” Peskov told Reuters, as shared by TASS. “And they [the Ukrainian side] were told that all this can be stopped in a moment.”
He said that Russia was not seeking to make any further territorial claims on Ukraine.
“We really are finishing the demilitarization of Ukraine. We will finish it. But the main thing is that Ukraine ceases its military action. They should stop their military action and then no one will shoot,” Peskov said.
Delegations from Ukraine and Russia were holding a third round of talks on Monday.
Moscow announced a temporary ceasefire and a plan to evacuate Ukrainians from several cities, mainly to Russia and Belarus.
Kyiv rejected the proposal as “immoral” and said Ukrainian citizens should be allowed to evacuate to other parts of Ukraine.
The Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers will meet in a Turkish resort city on Thursday as a part of Turkey’s efforts to deescalate the crisis in Ukraine.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday said both ministers asked him to take part in the meeting and to hold it in a trilateral format.
The country is a key economic partner of both Ukraine and Russia. It has sought to mediate in the crisis since before Russia launched its invasion last month.
Turkey, a NATO member, has condemned the Russian assault, sold armed drones to Ukraine and blocked Russia’s navy from sending additional warships to the Black Sea. At the same time, Ankara has refused to join economic sanctions against Russia, hoping to shield its vulnerable economy from additional fallout from the war.
