Putin sets conditions for Ukraine peace talks
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The Russian president expressed readiness to start peace talks with Ukraine at any moment, but on one condition, a full withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Russian territories.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia, on June 14, 2024. (AP)
In a statement delivered on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is prepared to initiate negotiations with Ukraine under specific conditions.
During a meeting with senior diplomats in Moscow, Putin announced Russia's latest concrete peace proposal for resolving the war in Ukraine. He emphasized that if Kiev and Western capitals reject this offer, as they have done in the past, they bear political and moral responsibility for the ongoing violence.
Putin outlined the conditions for the proposed peace plan, stating that Ukrainian forces must withdraw entirely from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as from the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
He specified that the withdrawal should cover the entire territory of these regions within their original administrative borders before they became part of Ukraine. Once Kiev agrees to these terms and begins withdrawing troops while also formally renouncing NATO membership plans, Russia will immediately cease fire and commence negotiations.
'Neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status'
Furthermore, Russia insists that Ukraine adopt a neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status as part of the peaceful resolution to the war.
"Our fundamental position is as follows: a neutral, non-aligned, non-nuclear status for Ukraine, along with its demilitarization and de-Nazification. These parameters were broadly agreed upon during the Istanbul negotiations in 2022," he said.
Putin emphasized that Russia is prepared to enter negotiations with Ukraine as soon as possible, acknowledging the complexities involved, "We are ready to sit at the negotiation table tomorrow, fully aware of the unique legal circumstances. Despite these, there are legitimate authorities, even according to their constitution, with whom we can negotiate."
'Kiev government clings to power'
However, Putin noted that the presidential term of Volodymyr Zelensky has ended, and his legitimacy cannot be restored by any means, "The presidential term of the previously elected head of Ukraine has expired, along with his legitimacy, which cannot be reinstated by any stratagems."
The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) remains the only legitimate authority in the country, according to Putin, unlike Ukraine's executive power. He added that the cancelation of elections reflects the nature of the current government in Kiev, with its attempts to cling to power being prohibited by the Ukrainian Constitution.
Putin highlighted that the situation with the cancelation of the elections mirrors the current situation in the Kiev government, "which has roots in the 2014 armed coup and is intertwined with it," adding that the cancellation of the elections sheds light on how the government continues to "cling to power", arguing that these actions are prohibited by Article 5 of the Ukrainian Constitution.
He also claimed that there is an ongoing attempt to usurp power in Ukraine: "The current tragic chapter in Ukraine's history began with the violent seizure of power, the unconstitutional coup in 2014. The source of the power of the current Kiev government is the armed coup, and now the circle has closed: executive power in Ukraine is once again, as in 2014, usurped and held unlawfully."
