Ukraine’s neutrality essential for achieving peace, Putin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced the necessity that Ukraine remain neutral in order to restore peace between the two neighboring countries.
"If there is no neutrality, it is difficult to imagine the existence of any good-neighborly relations between Russia and Ukraine," Putin said on Thursday at Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi.
If Ukraine is not neutral, it will be "constantly used as a tool in the wrong hands and to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation," he said of Ukraine's push to join the US-led NATO.
Putin said, "We are determined to create conditions for a long-term settlement so that Ukraine is an independent, sovereign state, and not an instrument in the hands of third countries, and not used in their interests."
The Russian leader said the people who live in the ex-Soviet republic should be allowed to determine the future of the region once the current war is ended.
"The borders of Ukraine should be in accordance with the sovereign decisions of people who live in certain territories and which we call our historical territories,” he said.
Putin said Ukraine would have to drop its NATO ambitions to prevent the Western military alliance from encroaching on Russia's western borders.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says the conditions set by Russia for a long-term settlement of the conflict are tantamount to Kiev's surrendering to Moscow.
Instead, he has presented his "victory plan" for which he has requested more arms and ammunition from his Western backers.
US President-elect Donald Trump has criticized Zelensky over what he deems as the waste of huge shipments of weaponry already supplied to Ukraine since the start of the war in Feb 2022 and vowed to end the war.
Possible Korean ban on arms shipments to Israel
Trump vs Harris: A choice between two deranged war hawks who cheer genocide in Gaza
Democrats 'risk losing' election for backing Israeli war on Gaza, Lebanon: US journalist
Seoul prepares for second Trump presidency
IRGC chief: Zionist regime's defeat very close to becoming reality
Hezbollah strikes naval base near Haifa for second time in 24 hours
Nov. 7: ‘Axis of Resistance’ operations against Israeli occupation
VIDEO | Yemen vows continued military action at wake of Trump re-election
Putin: Ukraine’s neutrality essential for achieving peace
VIDEO | Yemeni forces down another $30 million US Reaper drone
VIDEO | Quick, peaceful end to US vote but disunity remains
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
