Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that he is ready to announce an immediate ceasefire if Ukraine agrees to two key demands. According to reports, Putin made the statement during an address at the Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday morning.
Putin said Russia is prepared to halt all military operations as early as tomorrow if Ukraine is willing to withdraw its forces from four regions that are currently under Russian control. He also asked that Ukraine abandon any plans to join NATO. Putin declared that once Ukraine accepts these two conditions, Russia will declare a ceasefire and promptly begin peace negotiations.
The Russian President noted they are ready to start discussions without delay. His ceasefire offer comes as a two-day meeting is set to take place in Switzerland to lay out a ‘roadmap' for peace in Ukraine. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the idea of signing an agreement that would hand over Ukrainian territory to Moscow's authority.
Russia currently dominates sizable portions of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In September 2022, Moscow unilaterally announced it had incorporated those lands as well as parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. During his morning address, Putin previously warned that Western leaders are pushing the world towards a scenario of ‘no return' regarding a potential Third World War.
