Putin pledges immediate ceasefire in Ukraine but conditions apply
Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to order a ceasefire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv withdraws troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and abandons its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership aspirations. "We will do it immediately," Putin said at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow. This proposal comes as G7 leaders meet in Italy and Switzerland prepares for a peace summit on Ukraine.
Putin's ceasefire proposal faces potential roadblocks
Putin stressed that his proposal is aimed at a "final resolution" of the conflict, not "freezing it," and that the Kremlin is ready to start negotiations "without delay." However, Kyiv's ambition to join NATO and its demand for a complete Russian troop withdrawal from its territory could make Putin's proposal unfeasible. There has been no immediate response from Ukraine regarding the proposition.
Putin outlines broader demands for peace in Ukraine
Putin's demands for Ukraine include non-nuclear status, restrictions on its military force, and protection of the country's Russian-speaking people. He stated that all of these should be incorporated into "fundamental international agreements" and that all Western sanctions against Russia should be eliminated. "We're urging to turn this tragic page of history and to begin restoring, step-by-step, restore the unity between Russia and Ukraine and in Europe in general," he said.
Putin's stance on nuclear weapons in Ukrainian conflict
Earlier this month, Putin dismissed the possibility of using nuclear weapons in the Ukrainian conflict. He stated that their use is only conceivable "in an exceptional case - in the event of a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country." "I don't think that such a case has come. There is no such need," he told a large audience of the Russian elite and foreign dignitaries gathered for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
