Russia’s ‘phony’ and ‘dictatorial’ ceasefire offer rejected by European leaders

By Dearbail JordanBBC News

Italian and German leaders have strongly rejected ceasefire conditions set out by Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, as dozens of countries gathered at a summit in Switzerland to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. of the conflict.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the Russian president’s plan “propaganda,” in effect suggesting that Ukraine “must withdraw from Ukraine.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it a “dictatorial peace.”

On Friday, Putin said he would agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine withdraws its troops from four regions that Russia partially occupies and claims to have annexed.

Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, told the BBC at the Swiss summit that there would be “no compromise on independence, sovereignty or territorial integrity.”

Putin unveiled his terms ahead of the two-day Ukraine peace summit, which aims to discuss basic principles for ending the war.

More than 90 countries and global institutions are participating in the event. This is the largest rally held in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion.

But Russia was not invited and China – a key Russian ally – is not participating, so expectations of significant progress at this stage are low.

Commenting on Putin’s proposal, Meloni said: “It doesn’t seem to me to be a particularly effective negotiating proposal to tell Ukraine that it must withdraw from Ukraine.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused the Russian president of “telling a misleading story about his willingness to negotiate.”

He added that countries that help Russia with arms supplies “are on the wrong side of history.”

Ukraine is already presenting the gathering held in the isolated Bürgenstock location as a success, highlighting its global reach and the number of countries represented.

Zelensky said Ukraine wanted to “give diplomacy a chance” and show that “joint efforts” could end wars.

“I believe we will witness a historic event here at this summit. May a just peace be established as soon as possible,” he said.

His aide Yermak – an influential figure in Ukrainian politics – brushed off China’s absence and suggested that when a joint plan for peace talks was ready, it could be presented to Russia.

“We believe this can happen at the second leaders-level summit,” he said.

Vladimir Putin has already ruled out any peace process on Ukrainian terms. The four Ukrainian regions from which he seeks withdrawal are only partially occupied by Russia, which claims to have annexed them in 2022. The voting process organized then was denounced in Ukraine and the West as a sham.

The ceasefire conditions proposed by Putin were described as “offensive to common sense” by Ukraine.

– BBC News