Putin: Russia will stop the fighting if Ukraine withdraws from the lands we demand
The Russian President said Vladimir PutinMoscow will stop military operations in Ukraine if Kiev’s forces agree to withdraw from territories claimed by Russia.
He said Putin during a press conference in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Thursday: "If Ukrainian forces leave the occupied territories, we will stop the fighting, and if they do not leave, we will expel them with military force"
Putin did not specify whether he was referring only to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, which are a priority for the Kremlin, or also to the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in the south.
Russia announced in September 2022 the annexation of these four regions, which it does not fully control.
American peace proposal
The first version of the peace proposal presented by the United States stipulated that Kiev would cede the two Donetsk regions. Lugansk to Moscow, and many in Kiev considered it a surrender.
The text has since been amended after consultations with Ukraine, which had previously declared that giving up territory was a red line.
US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Moscow next week to discuss the proposal with Russian officials.
Attacking the European Union
President Vladimir Putin also confirmed that his country has no intention of attacking the European Union, but indicated that Moscow prepared "Refund procedures" Economic in the event of confiscation of Russian assets frozen in the bloc.
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