RUSSIA’S Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev has accused the United States and the United Kingdom of preventing Ukraine from settling the conflict with Russia.

Mr Patrushev told a press conference in Belarus that the US and the UK “are interested parties in this conflict,” who are seeking to prolong the hostilities.

“They don't care about people dying because it is not their people, they are not waging war on their own soil,” Mr Patrushev said. 

According to the Russian diplomat, “even the Ukrainian leadership itself was ready to sign a peace treaty and handed Russia written proposals that we, in principle, approved” at negotiations held in Turkey in early March last year.

The claims echo earlier remarks to similar effect from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett.

Ukraine proposed to commit to neutrality in exchange for security guarantees. However, the Ukrainian government then withdrew from the talks, leaving negotiations frozen.

Mr Patrushev said: “Had it not been for US pressure on those whom they installed at the helm of Ukraine, this situation would not have arisen.”

He added: “Russia is not the ultimate goal. Their ultimate goal is China.”