Russia says it won’t occupy Ukraine and aims to ‘denazify’ and demilitarize country

Russia has no intention of occupying Ukraine and its troops will withdraw when they complete their objective in the country, where the people can decide on their future, Russian ambassador Gennady Gatilov said at a press conference on Friday. at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Our objective is the denazification of the regime and the demilitarization of Ukraine, so that we have guarantees that there will be no threats from Ukraine against Russia,” the representative told reporters. “We are not going to occupy Ukraine, and it will be the Ukrainian people who will decide on their political future.”

Gatilov recalled, however, that the Russian government has already recognized the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Lugansk and Donetsk as independent and that this is a fait accompli. As for the rest of the country, he said it will be up to the people to decide how they want to be governed.

Commenting on the diplomatic setbacks that Russia has suffered in recent days in international forums, the ambassador denied that the government of Vladimir Putin feels isolated and said that the lack of support from the vast majority of its traditional allies is due to the fact that the West put strong pressure on them.

A UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine was recently passed by an overwhelming majority. This Friday (4), the Human Rights Council agreed to create a commission to investigate Russia’s crimes during the invasion of Ukraine, with Venezuela, Cuba and China – accustomed to voting along the same lines as Moscow – without raising objections. According to Gatilov, “not all countries are in a position to resist pressure from the West and this may explain the outcome of these votes.”

Asked if the Russian government would be willing to guarantee the life of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky in the event that Russian forces take Kiev, the diplomat said he did not know all the details of the Russian military operation.

Agreements on humanitarian corridors

about the principle of agreement to create humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, the diplomat confirmed that “it is understood” that in order for them to work, there must be a cessation of hostilities around them. The humanitarian corridors are intended to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to civilians and the evacuation of the wounded in the midst of conflict situations.

Gatilov confirmed that a meeting was scheduled with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer. Zelensky’s government asked for the organization’s help to organize the humanitarian corridors.