Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Friday his intention to immediately implement a cease-fire in Ukraine and initiate negotiations, provided that Kyiv initiates the withdrawal of troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and abandons its plans to join NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed what he described as a request from Putin to cede more territory.
Putin’s statement coincided with Switzerland’s preparations to host numerous world leaders, excluding those from Moscow, to outline initial steps towards peace in Ukraine this weekend. This development also occurred alongside a meeting of the Group of Seven in Italy, and after the U.S. and Ukraine signed a 10-year security agreement this week, Russian officials, including Putin, criticized it as “null and void.”
Putin blasted the Switzerland conference as “just another ploy to divert everyone’s attention, reverse the cause and effect of the Ukrainian crisis (and) set the discussion on the wrong track.”
Putin outlined comprehensive demands for peace during his speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry, emphasizing the need for a “final resolution” of the conflict rather than simply “freezing it.” He highlighted the readiness of the Kremlin to commence negotiations promptly.
Putin’s peace demands encompassed a wide range of issues, such as Ukraine acknowledging Crimea as Russian territory, maintaining its nonnuclear status, limiting its military capabilities, and safeguarding the rights of Russian-speaking residents. He proposed that these points be included in “fundamental international agreements” and called for the removal of all Western sanctions against Russia.
“We’re urging to turn this tragic page of history and to begin restoring, step-by-step, the unity between Russia and Ukraine and in Europe in general,” he said.
In a solemn gathering of Foreign Ministry officials and esteemed lawmakers, Putin articulated his stance on concluding the conflict in Ukraine. This instance was exceptional as he explicitly outlined his conditions, without introducing any novel requirements. The Kremlin has previously emphasized that Kyiv must acknowledge its territorial acquisitions and abandon its aspirations to join NATO.
Zelenskyy, in Italy for the G7 meeting, said Putin’s proposal was not new and was in the form of an “ultimatum,” comparing it to actions by Adolf Hitler in seizing territory that led to World War II.
“What Putin demands is to give them a part of our territories, those occupied and not occupied, talking about several regions of our country,” he said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry called Putin’s plan “manipulative,” “absurd” and designed to “mislead the international community, undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just peace, and split the unity of the world majority around the goals and principles of the U.N. Charter.”
In addition to its aspiration to become a member of NATO, Ukraine is determined to ensure the withdrawal of Russian forces from its territory, including the unlawfully annexed Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Ukraine also seeks the restoration of its territorial integrity and demands that Russia be held responsible for war crimes. Furthermore, Ukraine expects Moscow to provide reparations to Kyiv as a form of compensation.
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