Zelensky rejects Putin's ceasefire conditions as deceptive ultimatum
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the conditions set by Russian President Vladimir Putin to cease hostilities and initiate peace talks, describing them as an "ultimatum that cannot be trusted." Zelensky made the comments on Friday, June 14, during an interview with Italian broadcaster Sky TG24 on the sidelines of the G7.
"These are ultimatum messages that are no different from what we have heard before," Zelensky said, adding that he did not believe Putin would halt the conflict. "It's the same thing Hitler did. That’s why we can't trust these proposals," he told Reuters.
Kyiv sees no peace proposal in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said https://www.dw.com/ru/putin-nazval-uslovia-dla-peregovorov-s-ukrainoj/a-69362526. "There are no new 'peace proposals' from Russia. Putin merely voiced the 'standard aggressor's list,' which has been repeated many times. Its content is very specific, extremely offensive to international law and clearly indicates the current Russian leadership’s inability to adequately assess the realities," Podolyak wrote on the social network X. According to him, Putin’s proposals lack "any novelty or desire to stop the war."
Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council (NSDC), told the Financial Times that Putin’s terms are unacceptable to Kyiv and that the Russian president’s statements indicate his unwillingness to engage in negotiations.
Earlier, Putin, speaking at a meeting with the Russian Foreign Ministry's leadership, stated that Russia would be willing to cease fire in Ukraine if Kyiv withdrew troops from four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, renounced NATO membership aspirations, and if the West decided to lift sanctions against Russia.