Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, issued a stark warning about Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposed peace treaty to Ukraine. According to Reuters and TASS, Naryshkin stressed that if Putin's current proposal is rejected, any future peace terms will be significantly more difficult for Ukraine. However, Naryshkin did not clarify who has the authority to accept or reject this proposal.
Putin's peace proposal, announced last week, aims to end the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. In a speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Putin expressed his willingness to negotiate, but demanded the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from four regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson - over which Russia claims territorial rights. In addition, he demanded that Ukraine abandon its aspirations to join NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared Putin's terms to Adolf Hitler's policies, underscoring the controversial nature of the proposal. The United States has similarly rejected the plan, with officials saying Putin is in no position to dictate the terms of Ukraine's peace. Germany also joined in, declaring Putin's proposal frivolous.