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Putin Sets Conditions for Peace Talks with Ukraine: Troop Withdrawal and NATO Renouncement

Jun 14, 2024, 10:33 AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia is ready to negotiate peace with Ukraine under specific conditions. These conditions include the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, and a declaration from Kyiv that it will not join NATO. Putin emphasized that this proposal is aimed at ending the conflict, not just freezing it. Furthermore, he mentioned that if the West and Ukraine refuse these terms, the responsibility for continued bloodshed will lie with them. Putin also noted that Russia would guarantee the safety of withdrawing Ukrainian forces and that the new territorial reality must be internationally recognized. He reiterated that Russian troops stationed near Kiev in March 2022 were not there to storm the capital but to push for negotiations.