Russian President Vladimir Putin called "foreseeable" the reaction of the West and Kiev to his initiative for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, Kremlin official Dmitry Peskov said, Lenta.ru reported.
Vladimir Putin was briefed on the reaction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Peskov added that the US response to Putin's proposal to resolve the conflict was also “predictable”, as Washington “must fight to the last Ukrainian”.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to start the negotiation process if Ukraine agrees to the conditions set by Moscow. Kiev must withdraw its troops from four new regions of Russia: Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics (LPR and DPR). In addition, he must abandon the idea of joining NATO. The president indicated the neutral and non-nuclear status of the republic as one of the main demands of the Kremlin.
The head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, said that the Russian leader has no right to impose peace terms on Kiev. He also added that the West is ready to negotiate with the Russian Federation only on the condition that Russian forces withdraw.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in turn, refused to consider Putin's plan peaceful. “This proposal does not show goodwill, it shows Russia's desire to achieve military goals. That is, this is not a proposal for peace, but for an even greater occupation,”, he said.
Peskov called on the Russian president's proposal to settle Ukraine not to be seen as an ultimatum, as Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky did. The press secretary of the Russian leader emphasized that this is a peaceful initiative.
"This is not a warning, not an ultimatum, as Zelensky nervously reacted – this is exactly a peace initiative. And here the Ukrainian side just needs to think, this is really Putin's peace proposal," he said.
Peskov added that a new round of talks between Kyiv and Moscow should take into account the current geopolitical circumstances, in particular four new Russian regions.
He noted that the main goal of the Special Military Operation is to ensure the safety of all residents of Russia. This should also mean the safety of the population living in the new Russian regions, he emphasized.
The press secretary of the Russian leader also said that Moscow prefers to achieve goals through political and diplomatic means;
Zelensky, in turn, called the proposal to resolve the conflict with Russia an ultimatum. In addition, the adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, wrote a post on the X social network in which he rejected Moscow's terms. According to him, there are no new proposals in the announced initiatives.