Putin Gives Terms For Ukraine Ceasefire

Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine would need to fully withdraw troops from territories Russia claims to have annexed before a ceasefire could begin – a proposal Ukraine immediately called “offensive to common sense”.

Its President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has long said Ukraine will not negotiate with Moscow until Russian forces leave all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.

The Russian president also said Ukraine would have to give up on joining Nato before peace talks could start.

Mr Putin’s statement setting out his ceasefire conditions comes 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.

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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”.

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.