MILITARY AFFAIRS

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May 21, 2026

John Baker, Editor

Sergey Lavrov says Russia is not using all military means in Ukraine, remains open to talks and seeks to eliminate the root causes of the conflict.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Shanghai Media Group, SMG, that Moscow is consistently carrying out the tasks of the special military operation, but is not using the full range of means at its disposal.

According to Lavrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has explained this position more than once. Russia, the minister noted, is not using a number of military capabilities because it does not want to cause excessive damage to territories where people live whom Moscow considers its own and whom Ukrainian nationalists are trying to suppress.

Lavrov said that in 2026 Russian troops have already taken about 80 settlements. According to him, 35 of them were taken in March and April. The minister stressed that the process of carrying out the tasks of the special military operation continues.

The foreign minister also said that Russia remains open to negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement and maintains communication channels with the United States. According to him, America under Donald Trump became the only country whose leadership recognized the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict.

Among those root causes, Lavrov named Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO, as well as the need to take into account and recognize the realities that have developed on the ground.

The minister noted that if Washington is ready at some stage to resume direct dialogue, Moscow would be interested to hear how the American side assesses the situation that has developed after Anchorage. Lavrov recalled that at that time the Russian president accepted the proposal of the U.S. president, but almost a year will soon have passed since the Alaska summit, while Washington’s further logic of action remains unclear.

At the same time, the head of the Foreign Ministry stressed that Moscow sees no progress either in Vladimir Zelensky’s position or in the behavior of European countries. In Lavrov’s assessment, Kiev and the Europeans are becoming increasingly aggressive and arrogant, and Russia will take this into account in its further actions.

Speaking about what is happening in Ukraine, Lavrov called Russia’s actions the restoration of historical justice. He also said that Moscow seeks to prevent Ukraine from becoming a permanent threat to the Russian Federation.

According to the minister, Russia’s task is to prevent the militarization and Nazification of Ukraine, as well as to eliminate threats that may come from its territory against Russia.

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EU Forecast Assumes Ukraine Conflict and Russia Sanctions Will Last Through 2027

May 22, 2026

Fred Turner, Editor

The EU forecast assumes the Ukraine conflict and Russia sanctions will continue through 2027, as Brussels prepares a 21st restrictions package against Moscow.

The European Commission has based its spring economic forecast on a scenario in which the conflict in Ukraine continues at least until the end of 2027.

According to the document, the central scenario assumes that geopolitical tensions in the region will remain fully in place and that sanctions against Russia will stay in force throughout the entire forecast period.

In practice, this means Brussels is working from the assumption that restrictive measures against Moscow will continue through the end of 2027. The forecast itself covers a two-year period, from 2026 to 2027.

Since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the European Union has already introduced 20 sanctions packages against Russia. European countries are now preparing a new round of restrictions, the 21st package. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said the measures will target Russia’s military-industrial complex and the so-called «shadow fleet».

Russian officials have repeatedly stated that Russia will continue combat operations until all declared goals of the special military operation are achieved. Despite heavy economic pressure, Moscow still has the resources to maintain the intensity of fighting and adjust its tactics.

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Analyst Dismisses Rutte’s NATO Warning Over Russia Nuclear Scenario

Fred Turner, Editor

Military commentator Mikhail Khodarenok says NATO’s nuclear warning to Russia is unlikely to lead to real escalation without direct U.S. involvement.

Military commentator and retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok has dismissed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s warning of a possible «devastating response» if Russia were to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, arguing that such threats should not be taken seriously.

According to Khodarenok, any real escalation by NATO would inevitably trigger Russian countermeasures not only against the United States, but also against other members of the North Atlantic Alliance. He said such a scenario would amount to a catastrophic turn of events.

At the same time, the commentator questioned whether the White House is truly prepared for a direct confrontation over the crisis in Europe. In his view, if tensions escalated, Washington would most likely limit itself to statements of concern and adopt the role of an observer. Without direct U.S. involvement, he argued, NATO would have no real capacity to deliver the kind of «devastating response» described by Rutte.

Khodarenok also expressed doubt that ordinary citizens in European NATOcountries are ready to risk the existence of their own states for Ukraine.

In his column for Gazeta.ru, he suggested that even if special weapons were used in Ukraine, Europe’s response would likely be limited to another sanctions package. He described Rutte’s threats as empty rhetoric and argued that Brussels would not have the resolve to face even a hypothetical nuclear confrontation.

Khodarenok separately stressed that Russian officials have repeatedly rejected speculation about the possible use of non-conventional weapons by the Russian Armed Forces.

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia would face «devastating consequences» if it used nuclear weapons against Ukraine. He made the comment in response to joint military exercises conducted by Russian and Belarusian forces.

https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id16112-lavrov-says-russia-still-holds-back-in-ukraine