Vladimir Putin had said Russia would end its war if Ukraine withdrew troops from four regions annexed by the Kremlin and did not join NATO.
The Prime Ministers of Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom have rejected the Russian president’s ceasefire termsVladimir Putin.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, Putin calls Putin’s terms for peace “propaganda”at the conclusion of a Group of Seven summit in southern Italy.
The German Chancellor Olaf Sholz, had an equally negative reaction to Putin’s proposal. In an interview with German broadcaster ARD, he said: “What he (Putin) is ultimately proposing is to document their imperialist incursions“.
Scholz suggested that the terms outlined by Putin were aimed at the Russian public, who he said wanted to see a peaceful outcome to the war rather than genuine peace terms. Scholz also accused Putin of try to “obscure” his role in starting the war against Ukraine.
On Saturday, the british prime minister rejected Putin’s proposal at the Ukrainian Peace Summit in Switzerland, saying that Putin has “no real interest in genuine peace” and that the summit aimed to discuss and defend territorial integrity, among other topics.
At the same summit, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyentook aim at Putin’s offer, saying that “Freezing the conflict today with foreign troops occupying Ukrainian territory is not an answer” and hinting that this would lead to an extension of the conflict.
He added that sustainable peace would ensure Ukraine’s territorial integrity as a priority.
The vice president of USAwho attended the Swiss summit in place of US President Joe Biden, commented that “Putin is not calling for negotiations, he is calling for surrender”.
Calls to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine were echoed throughout the summit, which aims to lay the foundation for lasting peace in Ukraine. The French president, Emmanuel Macronpublished in X that a lasting peace would respect Ukraine’s “sovereignty”.
The conference in Switzerland brings together more than 90 delegationsincluding several heads of state, to discuss peace in Ukraine for the first time since the invasion began in February 2022.
Russia was not invited to attend the summitafter making clear that he would not begin peace negotiations with Ukraine unless kyiv recognized Russia’s territorial gains.
The terms of Ukraine negotiations include expulsion of Russian forces from its territoryincluding the annexed Crimean peninsula, the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and Russia’s accountability for war crimes.
kyiv has also said that Moscow should pay reparations to Ukraine for starting the war between the two countries and that it would continue its application process to become a member of NATO.
