On the eve of the Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland, Russian President Vladimir Putin set out conditions for ending the Russia-Ukraine war on Friday, June 14th. These conditions include withdrawing troops from the four states partially occupied by Russian forces and agreeing to abandon the idea of joining NATO. The U.S. and Ukraine criticized Putin’s ceasefire conditions, with Kyiv calling them “absurd”.
Putin reiterated the demand for the demilitarization of Ukraine in his ceasefire request and stated that ending Western sanctions must also be part of a peace agreement. He called for the Ukrainian military to withdraw entirely from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions in eastern and southern Ukraine. Russia claimed these four areas as part of its territory in 2022, but only partially controls them.
“These conditions are very simple… Once Kyiv announces readiness to make such a decision and starts withdrawing troops from these areas, while formally announcing the abandonment of plans to join NATO – we immediately, I mean right away, in the same minute, order a ceasefire and start negotiations,” Putin said.
Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. In the third year of this war, Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory. Ukraine insists that peace must be based on the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of borders as they were after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ukraine and its Western allies describe the conflict as an imperial-style military conquest. Ukraine argues that any demands related to demilitarization or future neutrality would only lead to further Russian aggression.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Italy’s SkyTG24 news channel that Putin’s remarks were essentially an ultimatum carefully timed before the summit in Switzerland.
“These are ultimatums, no different from information in the past… This is similar to what Hitler did in the past… This is why we should not trust this information,” Zelensky said.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Ukrainian President, said in an interview with Reuters that Putin’s demands for Ukraine to acknowledge defeat, hand over territory to Russia, and relinquish geopolitical sovereignty were “absurd”.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III in Brussels at NATO headquarters stated, “Putin has illegally occupied Ukrainian sovereign territory. He has no right to dictate to Ukraine what they must do to achieve peace.”
For months, delays in U.S. aid to Ukraine due to congressional deadlock allowed Russia to make recent battlefield gains. NATO defense ministers approved a new plan on Friday to provide long-term security assistance and military training to Ukraine.
The new plan, facilitated through the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), will continue to support Ukraine with resources to resist Russia. The organization brings together around 50 countries to coordinate military aid to Kyiv.
In the same week as Putin’s speech, the U.S. imposed more sanctions on Russia and reached an agreement with G7 allies to provide Kyiv with a $500 billion loan, secured by frozen Russian state assets.
During the G7 meeting, Ukraine also signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement with the U.S. and Japan, seen as a potential precursor to eventual NATO membership.
U.S. President Joe Biden stated at a press conference that the agreement serves as a “reminder to Putin, we’re not backing down.”
The timing of Putin’s speech appeared to be aimed at preempting the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland, where Russia is not among the invited guests. At this meeting, Zelensky will seek international support for his conditions to end the war, including the return of all occupied territories, including Crimea, by Russia.
Representatives from over 90 countries and organizations around the world will attend the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland over the weekend, where discussions will also focus on Ukraine’s food security and nuclear safety.