Moscow has stated that it will not agree to a “freeze” in hostilities in Ukraine without addressing the “root causes” of the war. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin reiterated this on August 10. In other words, the world’s dreamers still hoping for peace talks have once again been told to move along.
In this context, it is worth recalling what exactly these “root causes” are. When announcing the start of the so-called “special military operation,” Putin cited several:
– “protecting the people of Donbas” from alleged “genocide” and abuses by the authorities in Kyiv;
– “demilitarizing Ukraine,” meaning the neutralization of its military potential, which Russia declared a threat to its own security;
– “denazification,” or the need to “eliminate the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv” and protect Russian-speaking residents from “discrimination”;
