{"id":142764,"date":"2026-01-21T12:28:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T17:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=142764"},"modified":"2026-01-21T18:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:39:07","slug":"isw-russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-20-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=142764","title":{"rendered":"(ISW) Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 20, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated the Kremlin\u2019s commitment to its original war demands against the background of expected peace talks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 20, and falsely accused Ukraine of beginning the war by attacking Russia.\u00a0<\/strong>Lavrov gave a speech and held a press conference outlining Russia\u2019s foreign policy in 2025 and reiterated Russia\u2019s commitment to addressing the so-called \u201croot causes\u201d of its war in Ukraine.[23] Lavrov and other Kremlin officials have repeatedly defined these \u201croot causes\u201d as NATO expansion and alleged discrimination against Russian people, the Russian language, and the Russian Orthodox Church (a Kremlin-controlled arm of influence) in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lavrov also reiterated on January 20 the Kremlin\u2019s rejection of any peace deal that does not cede all of \u201cNovorossiya\u201d to Russia and that provides Ukraine with security guarantees from Europe. Novorossiya is an invented region that the Kremlin often claims is \u201cintegral\u201d to Russia and includes areas of eastern and southern Ukraine beyond the oblasts that Russia has illegally annexed. Lavrov explicitly rejected the US-Ukrainian-European 20-point peace plan and listed demands inconsistent with terms in the original US-proposed 28-point peace plan, including the demand for territories that go beyond those that Russia has illegally annexed. Lavrov also rejected a possible temporary or permanent ceasefire in Ukraine because Ukraine could \u201cthen attack the Russian Federation again\u201d \u2014 falsely accusing Ukraine of having attacked Russia in the past, whereas Russia has been the one to initiate all military aggression against Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior Kremlin officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, have repeatedly demonstrated that Russia will not be satisfied with a peace settlement that does not meet Russia\u2019s uncompromising terms or that only pertains to Ukraine and does not radically restructure NATO. Lavrov\u2019s January 20 statements set conditions for Russia to justify to domestic audiences its rejection of any terms that emerge from talks at the Davos Summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated the Kremlin\u2019s commitment to its original war demands against the background of expected peace talks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 20, and falsely accused Ukraine of beginning the war by attacking\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/gmPCvKZMuR<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/RGNWNVcPXS<\/a><\/p>— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) January 21, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>