Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Kyiv cede more land, withdraw troops further inside its own borders, and abandon its NATO membership bid to end the war in Ukraine.
Putin's new ceasefire demands come as envoys from over 90 countries, including Ukraine, meet in Switzerland this weekend to discuss a Western-led peace plan. Russia is not invited to the conference, and Putin’s Friday remarks appear to be timed to disrupt the summit.
Addressing diplomats at the Russian foreign ministry, Putin publicly updated his terms for ending the war in Ukraine for the first time since his full-scale invasion began in February 2022, when he initially demanded regime change in Kyiv and the country’s "demilitarization."
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that Putin is in no position to make demands and could end the war "today if he chose to do so."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the offer could not be trusted, asserting that Putin would not cease his military offensive even if his ceasefire demands were met.
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