The Russian leader said a ceasefire was needed to achieve ‘unity between Russia and Ukraine and in Europe in general.’
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine if the embattled nation surrendered its occupied territories to Russia.
Mr. Putin promised on June 14 to “immediately” order a ceasefire with Ukraine and begin peace negotiations if Kyiv agreed to withdraw all troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounced any plans to join NATO.
“We’re urging to turn this tragic page of history and to begin restoring, step-by-step, the unity between Russia and Ukraine and in Europe in general.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the overture, saying it was a Russian ploy to trick Ukraine into surrendering territory where it still has troops.
“What Putin demands is to give them a part of our territories, those occupied and not occupied, talking about several regions of our country,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
To that end, Mr. Putin’s demands included Ukraine’s full withdrawal from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russian forces have failed thus far to seize control of key population centers.
Relatedly, Ukraine is not currently being considered for NATO membership, though Kyiv has expressed interest in doing so. It is unlikely that Ukraine could succeed in joining NATO, as its accession would require unanimous approval by all NATO member states including Hungary and Turkey, which are unlikely to agree to such a controversial act.
Mr. Putin’s remarks come just a day ahead of a peace summit in Switzerland which will be attended by 90 delegations from nations and international organizations around the world. Russia and its strategic partner China will not attend.
Mr. Putin said that the Switzerland peace conference would “set the discussion on the wrong track,” perhaps
The comments also come just a day after Mr. Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden signed a security agreement, which will see Ukraine receive $50 billion in loans from the United States and its partners in order to improve its defenses against Russia.
