What Conditions Did Putin Set to End the Ukraine War?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has suddenly announced new demands to end the war in Ukraine, including three conditions: the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops, abandonment of aspirations to join NATO, among others. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have expressed significant skepticism about these demands.
The Russia-Ukraine war has been ongoing for nearly two and a half years, with Moscow having taken control of several regions in Kyiv. Ukrainian forces are making desperate attempts to mount a strong resistance against Russian troops. Despite global calls to end the conflict, the Russian President has not paid heed until now.
Putin has now stated new conditions to end the war, requiring Ukraine to meet three demands. On Friday, June 14, he outlined these conditions before ambassadors at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Putin said,
"Our position is clear. The moment Kyiv announces that it will withdraw troops from the four provinces and stop trying to join NATO, we will be ready to start peace talks and prepare for a ceasefire in Ukraine."
However, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed doubt about Putin's conditions. He stated that Putin is not in a position to make demands about Ukraine or to end the war he started today.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Putin's proposal is not believable. He argued that even if they accepted Putin's conditions and went for a ceasefire, he would not stop the attacks.
According to Putin's demands, Ukrainian forces must leave the entire Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia will only consider the matter settled if these regions are declared Russian territories under international agreements. Additionally, Putin demanded that all sanctions imposed by Western countries against Russia must be lifted as a condition for the ceasefire.
This week, the United States extended sanctions on Russia's banking sector. Furthermore, sanctions were also imposed on the Russian stock exchange, chip, and technology sectors
