Putin Gives Conditions For Ukraine Ceasefire
Vladimir Putin has given terms for ceasefire in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
He insisted that Ukraine would need to fully withdraw troops from territories Russia claims to have annexed before a ceasefire could begin.
The proposal was immediately called “offensive to common sense” by Ukraine.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has long said Ukraine will not negotiate with Moscow until Russian forces leave all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.
On its part, the Russian president maintained that Ukraine would have to give up on joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) before peace talks could start.
Mr Putin’s statement setting out his ceasefire terms came as leaders from 90 countries prepare to meet in Switzerland on Saturday to discuss paths towards peace in Ukraine – a summit Russia has not been invited to.
Speaking to a meeting of Russian ambassadors in Moscow on Friday, Mr Putin called on the Ukrainian government to withdraw from four regions partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
He also said Ukraine would need to officially give up in its efforts to join the NATO military alliance for the Russian advance to be halted.
Mr Putin said: “As soon as Kyiv declares that it is ready for such a decision… an order to cease fire and begin negotiations will immediately follow from our side, literally at the same minute.”
Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak called the proposal a “complete sham” and “offensive to common sense”.
The country’s foreign ministry said: “It is absurd for Putin, who planned, prepared and executed, together with his accomplices, the largest armed aggression in Europe since World War Two, to present himself as a peacemaker.”
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg rejected the offer, saying it was “not made in good faith”.
The Street Reporters Newspaper gathered that Mr Zelensky will be attending today’s summit near Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, where he will hope to show he continues to enjoy international support against Moscow.
