Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined his conditions for ending the war in Ukraine, stating that Russia will only cease its military operations if Kyiv surrenders four regions claimed by Moscow and abandons its bid to join NATO. These terms were immediately rejected by Ukraine as a 'complete sham' and 'offensive to common sense.'
Putin's demands, presented ahead of a peace conference in Switzerland to which Russia was not invited, include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions. He emphasized that Ukraine must surrender the entire territory of these regions, not just the areas on the Russian side of the frontline.
The Russian president also called for Ukraine to demilitarize and for Western countries to lift sanctions imposed on Russia. Despite these maximalist conditions, they reflect Russia's failure to achieve its initial war objectives of capturing Kyiv swiftly and annexing the entirety of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Putin's ultimatum, likening his tactics to those of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and 40s. Zelensky expressed mistrust towards Putin's proposals, stating that they mirror Hitler's strategy of incremental territorial expansion.
Putin's speech comes on the eve of a Swiss peace conference involving nearly 100 countries and organizations. He criticized the conference as a diversion tactic and reiterated his terms for ending the conflict, emphasizing the need for international agreements to solidify the peace process.
Ukrainian officials and allies have condemned Putin's conditions as lacking genuine peace proposals and serving to prolong the conflict in new forms. They described the demands as offensive to common sense and urged the international community not to take Russia's offers seriously.
As tensions persist and diplomatic efforts continue, the future of the conflict in Ukraine remains uncertain, with both sides entrenched in their positions and unwilling to compromise.
