MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday for the first time outlined Russia's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine and starting peace talks.
Speaking at a meeting with Russian Foreign Ministry employees in Moscow, Putin said that Russia will "immediately" cease combat operations if Ukraine abandons its intentions to join NATO and withdraws its troops from the country’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions – four eastern regions that Russia said it annexed in 2022, in a move generally not recognized by the international community.
Putin emphasized that he is proposing ending the conflict, not merely freezing it.
"As soon as Ukraine begins withdrawing troops from Donbas and Novorossiya (in those regions) and undertakes not to join NATO, the Russian Federation will cease fire and be ready for negotiations. I don't think it will take long," he added.
Putin hinted that he does not consider Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be Ukraine’s legitimate president after his term expired on May 20, and identified the nation's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, as the only legitimate authority.
Russia launched the war on Feb. 24, 2022. In light of the war, Ukraine declared martial law, which does not allow presidential elections to be held.
Before the war began, Ukrainian hopes of joining NATO were seen as distant, though they have grown more serious in light of the conflict.
Putin’s announcement came a day after G7 nations announced a new $50 billion loan package for Ukraine and Washington and Kyiv signed a 10-year security deal, seeking to underline that Western support for the embattled country will continue indefinitely.