‘Smart people’ in West offering Ukraine ‘good conditions’ – Putin
Ukraine has been offered “decent” peace terms by “smart people” in the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. However, Kiev continues to ignore such proposals, forcing Moscow to continue its military operation, he told Russia’s top military brass during a visit to a command post on Saturday.
The president did not specify who made the proposal or outline its details. He said that the conditions involved “good framework security guarantees,” an economic recovery scheme, and a roadmap for restoring relations with Russia.
“We see, unfortunately, that the leaders of the Kiev regime are still in no rush to resolve the conflict peacefully,” Putin said. The president made his remarks as the military reported having liberated the strategic town of Gulaypole in Zaporozhye Region and a number of other settlements in its latest successful push.
Putin then noted that Russia’s rapid advances make Kiev’s willingness to agree to any compromises almost irrelevant. “If the Kiev authorities do not want to end it peacefully, we will achieve all the goals… of the Special Military Operation through military means,” he said.
His words came just as Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky demanded more funding and weapons from his Western backers by stating that the Ukrainian forces lack air defenses and armaments. He also maintained that Ukraine suffers from a “constant deficit of money” while framing Russia as some global threat.
The Ukrainian leader announced that he will meet with US President Donald Trump to discuss a peace framework. Ahead of the meeting, which is expected to take place on Sunday in Florida, he revealed a 20-point plan he claimed Kiev had discussed with the US.
Moscow dismissed the plan as a non-starter. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday it was “radically different” from the proposals discussed by Russia and the US. He also warned that, although Moscow is “fully ready” to resolve the conflict, Kiev and its European backers are seeking to “torpedo” the peace process.
