Kiev's recognition of the new borders of Russia and its non-nuclear and neutral status are essential for a settlement, Sergey Naryshkin has said

Peace between Russia and Ukraine is possible only if Kiev abandons its plans to join NATO and acquire nuclear weapons, and recognizes the new borders of Russia, according to the head of the country's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Naryshkin reiterated that Russia has not changed its strategic goals in the Ukraine conflict. "The conditions of a peace agreement include, certainly, the non-nuclear, neutral status of Ukraine, the demilitarization and denazification of the Ukrainian state, and the repeal of all discriminatory laws adopted after the coup d'etat in 2014," he said.

Ukraine has been seeking NATO membership for years, formally applying to join the bloc in September 2022. Russian officials have long viewed NATO expansion toward its borders as a direct threat to national security and has considered Ukraine's potential membership a red line.

Following the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, Crimea joined Russia after a public referendum, with four other former Ukrainian regions following its suit in 2022. Ukraine has never recognized the votes.

Naryshkin went on to accuse Ukraine's leadership of deliberately prolonging the conflict in order to stay in power.  "Only under such conditions will the current Kiev government remain in their offices and avoid responsibility before their people for their criminal decisions," Naryshkin charged. 

The intel chief was apparently referring to Vladimir Zelensky's refusal to hold new election under the pretext of a still-active martial law despite his presidential term having expired almost a year ago. 

Naryshkin also blasted European NATO members, particularly France, the UK and Germany, over their support of Ukraine, suggesting that they "are raising the level of escalation around the Ukraine conflict."

According to the intel chief, meanwhile, the US stance on the crisis is drastically different from that of the rest of NATO. "There is a noticeable desire on the part of the US administration to understand and delve into the causes of the Ukrainian crisis," he noted, praising the dialogue between Moscow and Washington as "positive."

In recent months, Trump administration officials have engaged in direct negotiations with the Kremlin to seek a resolution to the conflict. The US leader has described Ukraine's NATO membership as impractical, adding that Kiev is unlikely to return all of its former territories.