Putin sets new conditions for talks with Ukraine, Zelenskyy responds sharply

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)

Russian President Vladimir Putin set new conditions for starting negotiations with Ukraine. These statements are ultimatums, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Sky TG24.

What Putin said

Today, on the eve of the Peace Summit, Putin named his conditions for starting peace talks with Ukraine.

The Kremlin leader demands that Ukrainian troops withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. Besides, Ukraine needs to abandon its plan to become a NATO member.

Then, according to him, Moscow will be ready to start a dialog.

Zelenskyy's reaction

“What can I say? These messages are ultimatums, they are no different from other ultimatums he has put before,” the president said.

He adds that the Kremlin's actions are aimed at reviving Nazism.

"This is a new wave of Nazism, Russian Nazism. He wants us not only to give up part of our temporarily occupied territories but also the unoccupied ones,” Zelenskyy added.

The president stressed that there would be no frozen conflict with Russia.

Peace Summit

Ukraine expects to engage Russia in negotiations as part of the Peace Summit.

As Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stated, the participation of Russian representatives is allowed at the second Peace Summit, the date of which is currently unknown.

Kyiv wants to negotiate a just and lasting peace with Moscow based on the UN Charter and international law.