Putin says Ukraine must withdraw troops, end NATO bid for peace talks
The Peninsula
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Moscow would only cease fire and begin peace talks if Ukraine gave up four of its regions and...
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Moscow would only cease fire and begin peace talks if Ukraine gave up four of its regions and abandoned its NATO membership bid.
The Russian leader was outlining his "conditions" to halt the full-scale military offensive that he launched in February 2022, speaking on the eve of a major peace summit in Switzerland, orchestrated by Ukraine and its allies.
"Ukrainian troops must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions," Putin said in a televised address to Russian diplomats in Moscow.
Russia claimed to have annexed the four regions in 2022, despite not having full control over any of them.
"As soon as Kyiv says it is ready to do this and begins really withdrawing troops and officially renounces plans to join NATO, we will immediately -- literally that very minute -- cease fire and begin talks," Putin said.