The leaders of Italy and Germany vehemently rejected the ceasefire terms established by Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine, while dozens of countries met at a summit in Switzerland to discuss ending the conflict.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the Russian president’s plan “propaganda” which actually suggested that Ukraine “should withdraw from Ukraine.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz considered it a “dictatorial peace”.
On Friday, Putin said he would agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine withdrew troops from four regions that Russia partially occupies and claims to have annexed.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told the BBC at the Swiss summit that there would be “no compromise on independence, sovereignty or territorial integrity”.
Putin revealed 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 participate in the event. It is the biggest meeting for Ukraine since the full-scale invasion.
But Russia was not invited and China – a key ally of Russia – is not present, so expectations for significant progress at this stage are low.
Commenting on Putin’s proposal, Meloni said: “It doesn’t seem particularly effective to me as a negotiating proposal to tell Ukraine that it must withdraw from Ukraine.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused the Russian president of “weaving a false narrative 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 meeting held in the isolated location of Bürgenstock as a success, highlighting its global reach and the number of countries represented.
Zelensky said Ukraine wants to “give diplomacy a chance” and show that “joint efforts” can stop wars.
“I believe we will witness history being made here at the summit. May a just peace be established as soon as possible,” he said.
His aide Yermak – an influential figure in Ukrainian politics – ruled out China’s absence and suggested that when a joint plan for peace talks is ready, it could be presented to Russia.
“We think this could happen at the second leaders’ level summit,” he said.
Putin has already ruled out any kind of peace process on Ukraine’s terms. The four Ukrainian regions he wants Ukraine to withdraw from are only partially occupied by Russia, which claims to have annexed them in 2022. The voting process then carried out was denounced in Ukraine and the West as a sham.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that “freezing today the conflict with foreign troops occupying Ukrainian land is not an answer”.
“In fact, it’s a recipe for future wars of aggression,” she said.
Putin’s terms for a ceasefire were considered “offensive to common sense” by Ukraine.
