President Zelensky says Putin's proposal is not 'trustworthy'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's peace proposal cannot be trusted.
According to RIA Novosti, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Russian President Putin's proposal to end the conflict in Ukraine is "unreliable".
"These are ultimatums no different from previous messages," Reuters quoted President Zelensky as saying.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhail Podolyak sees the Russian leader's proposal as an attempt to gain the initiative ahead of a summit on Ukraine in Switzerland.
Previously, on June 14, during a meeting with the Foreign Ministry leadership, President Putin said that Russia would immediately cease fire and declared its readiness to negotiate after Ukraine withdrew its troops from the territories of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye.
In addition, Ukraine must officially announce its abandonment of plans to join NATO. Because for a peaceful settlement, Moscow needs Ukraine to remain neutral, non-aligned, and nuclear-free.
Commenting on President Zelensky's rejection of President Putin's proposals, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that by doing this, Ukrainians are losing the chance for real peace.
The media also commented on Ukraine's refusal. Irish journalist Chey Bowes said that Russian President Putin had clearly outlined the steps needed to completely end the conflict in Ukraine. According to Mr. Bowes, the important thing is that if Ukraine and its "sponsors" had not violated the Minsk agreements and implemented them, peace would have been achieved long ago.
