Ukraine must surrender or face continued war: Russia

Bloomberg

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine must surrender or face continued war, even as Moscow’s troops have been forced to retreat in a series of damaging defeats.
In an interview with the state-run news service Tass, Lavrov said Ukraine must cede sovereignty over territories annexed by Russia since President Vladimir Putin’s February 24 invasion. He
reiterated unfounded claims that Russia’s aim in starting the war was “the de-Nazification and de-militarisation” of Ukraine. The Kremlin’s goals “are well-known to the enemy,” Lavrov said. “Fulfill them for your own good. Otherwise the issue will be decided by the Russian army.”
With the war entering its 11th month, Russian forces are on the back foot after repeated battlefield failures under pressure from a Ukrainian counteroffensive backed with weapons from its US and European allies.
Putin conceded the situation was “extremely difficult” in four partly-occupied regions of east and south Ukraine.