President Putin sets conditions for ceasefire in Ukraine

"The conditions are very simple. As soon as Kyiv declares that they are ready to make a decision and begin withdrawing troops from these four regions, and officially announces that they are abandoning plans to join NATO, our side will immediately, literally at the same minute, order a ceasefire and start negotiations," Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 14 about the conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to Reuters.

President Vladimir Putin at a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on June 14.

The four regions the leader mentioned were Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which Russia annexed in 2022 but Ukraine has not recognized. Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory after three years of fighting but does not fully control any of the four regions.

Mr Putin's conditions contrast with the Ukrainian side's position, which insists that peace can only be based on the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

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According to RT, Mr. Putin emphasized that Russia will not accept a freeze on the conflict at this time because that would allow the US and its allies to re-equip the Ukrainian army.

"In the future, all positions based on this fundamental principle must be fixed in fundamental international agreements. Of course, this includes lifting all Western sanctions against Russia," President Putin said.

President Putin made the announcement just a day before Switzerland is to host a Ukraine peace conference. Many countries are expected to attend, but Russia has not been invited. The Kremlin has said a peace conference without Russia would be meaningless. According to Reuters, the conference is expected to ignore territorial issues and focus on food security and nuclear safety. Mr. Putin called the conference in Switzerland a diversion.

On the other hand, the leader also criticized the West as "thieves" for freezing Russia's overseas assets and warned of sanctions. Earlier, G7 leaders agreed to lend Ukraine $50 billion from profits from frozen Russian assets. The G7 and the European Union (EU) froze about $300 billion of Russia's central bank after the country launched a military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tong-thong-putin-ra-dieu-kien-ngung-ban-tai-ukraine-185240614183009626.htm