Putin demands more Ukrainian land to end war; Kyiv rejects 'ultimatum'
Putin demands more Ukrainian land to end war; Kyiv rejects 'ultimatum'
MOSCOW (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia would end the war in Ukraine only if Kyiv agreed to drop its NATO ambitions and hand over the entirety of four provinces claimed by Moscow, demands Kyiv swiftly rejected as tantamount to surrender.
On the eve of a conference in Switzerland to which Russia has not been invited, Putin set out maximalist conditions at odds with the terms demanded by Ukraine, apparently reflecting Moscow's growing confidence that its forces have the upper hand in the war.
He restated his demand for Ukraine's demilitarisation, unchanged from the day he sent in his troops on Feb. 24, 2022, and said an end to Western sanctions must also be part of a peace deal.
He also repeated his call for Ukraine's "denazification", based on what Kyiv calls an slur against its leadership.
Ukraine said the conditions were "absurd".
"He is offering for Ukraine to admit defeat. He is offering for Ukraine to legally give up its territories to Russia. He is offering for Ukraine to sign away its geopolitical sovereignty," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters.
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Let's ask the Czechs what they think about the idea that giving away part of your territories to an aggressive imperialistic power is a road to peace and independence.
You are not wrong, but unfortunately and quite surprisingly there is many here in Czechia who would like Ukraine to take such deal. And their parties are now polling much higher for the elections next year.
Or the French (Alsace and Lorraine). Or anyone, really.
It sorta worked for Finland. But we did a huge amount of asskissing between 1945-2022.