Putin specifies Russian conditions for Ukraine peace talks
- Russia assures the safe withdrawal of Ukrainian units to facilitate this process.
- Ukraine insists on peace through the complete withdrawal of Russian forces and restoration of territorial integrity.
- Putin equates the West’s seizure of Russian sovereign assets to theft and vows to punish it.
On Friday, President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would cease fire and engage in peace talks if Ukraine abandoned its NATO ambitions and withdrew its forces from four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow.
Putin stated that Russia was ready to ensure the safe withdrawal of Ukrainian units to facilitate this process.
He addressed the eve of a summit in Switzerland where more than 90 countries and organizations are poised to discuss a potential path toward peace in Ukraine. Russia, not invited, asserts that the gathering is a waste of time.
In the third year of the war, nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory is controlled by Russia, and Ukraine insists that peace can only come through a complete withdrawal of Russian forces and the restoration of its territorial integrity.
President Vladimir Putin further stated that the West’s seizure of Russian sovereign assets constituted theft and vowed that it would not go unpunished.
Speaking at a meeting with Foreign Ministry officials, Putin said that the way the West had treated Moscow showed that “anyone” could be next and could fall victim to a similar Western asset freeze.
Putin spoke a day after the leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies agreed on an outline deal to provide $50 billion in loans for Ukraine using interest from Russian sovereign assets frozen after Moscow deployed tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022, labeling it a special military operation.
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