Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from four eastern regions partially occupied by Russian forces as a precondition for peace talks, a requirement Kyiv dismissed as “manipulative” ahead of a war conference to which Moscow is not invited.
Putin stated that Ukrainian forces should vacate the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions in exchange for a ceasefire by Russian troops. He also insisted that Ukraine abandon its bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, speaking in a televised address to Foreign Ministry officials on Friday.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry accused Putin of attempting to “mislead the international community, undermine diplomatic efforts for a just peace, and fracture global unity.” They argued that these demands, made on the eve of a Kyiv-backed conference, show that “Russia is afraid of genuine peace.”
The Swiss-hosted summit, beginning Saturday, aims to rally support for Ukraine’s demands for a complete Russian withdrawal. Putin’s offer essentially asks Ukraine to surrender its territories for peace talks, a proposition Kyiv has consistently rejected since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Putin declared, “As soon as Kyiv announces readiness for such a decision, begins the actual withdrawal of troops from these regions, and officially renounces plans to join NATO, our side will immediately cease fire and start negotiations.”
The Kyiv government refuses to negotiate until Russia vacates the occupied territories, arguing that any halt in the war would allow Moscow to regroup and resume its aggression.
Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of the political consultancy R.Politik, stated, “This is an attempt to dictate terms for ending the war,” noting that Putin’s proposals involve no concessions from Russia and are strategically timed to coincide with the peace conference in Switzerland.
Putin insisted that Ukraine must recognize the four regions, along with Crimea annexed in 2014, as Russian territory and that Ukraine’s neutral status must be enshrined in international law. Additionally, he demanded the lifting of all sanctions against Russia by the US and its allies as part of a peace deal.
These demands followed a Group of Seven summit where leaders agreed to use the profits from roughly $280 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets to provide Ukraine with about $50 billion in aid. The US also imposed further sanctions on Russia, leading the Moscow Exchange to halt trading in US dollars and euros.
In September 2022, Putin declared the four regions “forever” part of Russia, despite incomplete control over those areas. Prior to the invasion, he demanded that Ukraine drop its NATO ambitions and accept a neutral, demilitarized status.
Presenting his terms as a new initiative for negotiations, Putin said, “If Kyiv and Western capitals reject it as they did before, that’s their decision. The situation on the front line will continue to change, and not in Kyiv’s favor.”
Putin mentioned that there are nearly 700,000 Russian troops in Ukraine, an increase from over 600,000 reported in late January.
