Vladimir Putin has stated that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from territories Russia claims to have annexed before a ceasefire could commence. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky likened the proposal to a Hitler-like “ultimatum.”
Zelensky has consistently maintained that Ukraine will not engage in negotiations with Moscow until Russian forces vacate all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea. Putin also insisted that Ukraine must abandon its aspirations to join NATO before peace talks could commence.
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Putin’s declaration of ceasefire conditions coincides with the gathering of leaders from 90 countries in Switzerland on Saturday to discuss pathways to peace in Ukraine. Notably, Russia has not been invited to this summit.
Addressing a meeting of Russian ambassadors in Moscow on Friday, Putin urged the Ukrainian government to withdraw from four regions partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. He further stipulated that Ukraine must formally renounce its efforts to join the NATO military alliance for the Russian advance to cease.
Putin stated, “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 adviser Mykhailo Podolyak denounced the proposal as a “complete sham” and “offensive to common sense.” President Zelensky, speaking to Italy’s Sky TG24 television, likened Putin’s messages to ultimatums akin to those of Hitler.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg both dismissed the Russian demands, with Austin asserting that Putin had illegally occupied sovereign Ukrainian territory and thus had no authority to dictate terms for peace.
The peace summit, set near Lake Lucerne, will be attended by Zelensky and a host of other world leaders, including US Vice-President Kamala Harris, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Russia was not invited, and China declined to attend without Russia’s presence.
The summit follows the G7 leaders’ agreement to utilize interest from frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine in its fight against the invading Russian forces. Frozen assets worth $325 billion (£256 billion) by G7 countries and the EU following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 are generating about $3 billion a year in interest.
Under the G7 plan, this interest will be used to cover the annual interest on a $50 billion loan for Ukraine, sourced from international markets. Though the funds are not expected to arrive until the year’s end, they are perceived as a longer-term solution to support Ukraine’s war effort and economy.
Additionally, during the G7 summit, the US and Ukraine signed a historic 10-year bilateral security deal.
