Ukraine rejects Putin's peace demands as "offensive to common sense"

A senior Ukrainian official has sharply criticized the conditions set forth by Russian President Vladimir Putin for initiating peace talks.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, dismissed Putin's demands, which included the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four regions partially occupied by Russia, as "offensive to common sense."

In a social media post on Friday, Podolyak stated, "It's all a complete sham. Therefore—once again—get rid of illusions and stop taking seriously the 'proposals of Russia' that are offensive to common sense."

The United States and NATO also rebuffed Putin's conditions for peace.

Speaking at the conclusion of a NATO meeting in Brussels, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declared, "Putin has occupied, illegally occupied, sovereign Ukrainian territory. He is not in any position to dictate to Ukraine what they must do to bring about peace."

Austin emphasized that Putin could end the conflict immediately if he chose to withdraw from Ukrainian territory, urging him to do so.

Putin's demands, reiterated on Friday, insisted that Moscow would only cease its offensive if Ukraine withdrew its troops from the eastern and southern regions and abandoned its bid for NATO membership. Ukraine promptly rejected these terms, focusing instead on garnering international support at a significant peace summit in Switzerland this weekend.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also criticized Putin's conditions, labeling them as insincere. "This is not a proposal made in good faith," Stoltenberg told reporters. "This is a proposal that actually means that Russia should achieve their war aims by expecting that Ukrainians should give up significantly more land than Russia has been able to occupy so far."

Stoltenberg added, "This is a proposal of more aggression, more occupation, and it demonstrates that Russia's aim is to control Ukraine."