Stoltenberg reacts to conditions set out by Putin for peace talks with Ukraine

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described the proposal that Russian president Vladimir Putin made for peace talks with Ukraine as “not a peace proposal”, but “a proposal of more aggression”.

Putin said earlier today that Russia would cease fire and enter peace talks if Ukraine dropped its NATO ambitions and withdrew its forces from four Ukrainian regions, parts of which are under the control of Russia. 

“It’s not for Ukraine to withdraw forces from Ukrainian territory. It’s for Russia to withdraw their forces from occupied Ukrainian land. And this proposal is a proposal that actually means that Russian should have the right to occupy even more Ukrainian land, all the four provinces that they claim are not Ukrainian,” Stoltenberg said. 

“So, this is not a peace proposal, this is a proposal of more aggression, more occupation and it demonstrates in a way that Russia’s aim is to control Ukraine and that has been the purpose of Russia since the beginning of this war. And that’s a blatant violation of international law and that also is why NATO allies continue to support Ukraine,” he added.

In his remarks Putin noted that he meant the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the entire administrative territories of non-recognized Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and not only the parts that are currently under the control of the Russian Armed Forces.