New Delhi: In a recent development that has strengthened tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Rassia will only end the war with Ukraine if Kyiv gives up control of four regions claimed by Moscow and also abandons its proposal to join North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), CNN reported. Ukraine expressed disagreement over Putin’s demand and called it a complete sham. 

In his statement, Putin outlined Russia’s conditions for an end of the war in more specific terms than ever before since the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv began in February 2022.

Russian President delivered a speech on the eve of the Swiss peace conference scheduled in Switzerland, where Russia has not been invited. 

 

Following the Russian-Ukraine issue, Putin said that Kyiv must demilitarize and demanded that Western nations lift their sanctions on Russia.

In addition to Ukrainian soldiers withdrawing from four regions, Putin said that Kyiv must demilitarise and that Western nations must lift their sanctions on Russia. 

Putin’s demands clearly show that Russia hasn’t achieved its original goals for the war, Initially, Moscow thought it could take Kyiv in a few days and the rest of Ukraine within a few weeks. But after 28 days, Russia managed to occupy around a fifth of Ukrainian territory which includes the Crimean peninsula it annexed 10 years back.

Putin said that as soon as Ukraine declare in Kyiv that they are ready for a decision and begin the real withdrawal of troops from these regions then we will cease fire and begin negotiations

The Russian President said, “As soon as they declare in Kyiv that they are ready for such a decision and begin the real withdrawal of troops from these regions – and also officially notify about the abandonment of plans to join NATO – our side will immediately, at the same minute, make the order to cease fire and begin negotiations,” CNN reported.

Ukraine Counter On Russia Remark

Reacting to Putin’s remark, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine does not trust Putin’s ultimatum, CNN reported.

 Zelenskyy during his speech at between the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Italy drew parallels Putin’s tactics and those employed by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to conquer swaths of Europe in the 1930s and 1940s, CNN reported.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that there are no real peace proposals and no desire to end the war. 

“There is no novelty in this, no real peace proposals and no desire to end the war. But there is a desire not to pay for this war and to continue it in new formats. It’s all a complete sham,” Podolyak said. 

(Based on ANI inputs)