Putin offers truce if Ukraine exits Russian-claimed areas and drops NATO bid

Selenskyy rejects the proposal

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised on Friday to “immediately” order a cease-fire in Ukraine and commence negotiations if Kyiv begins withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounces plans to join NATO. Ukraine labelled Putin’s proposal as “manipulative” and “absurd.”

Putin’s remarks came as Switzerland prepared to host numerous world leaders—excluding those from Moscow—this weekend to outline initial steps toward peace in Ukraine. They coincided with a meeting of leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations in Italy and followed a 10-year security agreement signed between the US and Ukraine this week, which Russian officials, including Putin, denounced as “null and void.”

Putin criticised the Swiss conference as “just another ploy to divert everyone’s attention, reverse the cause and effect of the Ukrainian crisis, and set the discussion on the wrong track.” In his speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry, he stressed the Kremlin’s readiness to start negotiations without delay, aiming for a “final resolution” of the conflict rather than merely “freezing it.”

Putin’s broader demands for peace include Ukraine’s recognition of Crimea as part of Russia, maintaining the country’s non-nuclear status, limiting its military capabilities, and safeguarding the interests of the Russian-speaking population. He asserted that these points should be included in “fundamental international agreements” and insisted that all Western sanctions against Russia be lifted.