Ukraine’s refusal to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest proposal to end the conflict will result in Moscow placing tougher conditions on any potential peace talks next time around, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, has said.
Last Friday, Putin signaled that Russia could order a ceasefire and start negotiations as soon as Kiev completely withdraws its troops from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions. He also noted that a lasting peace could be achieved if Ukraine commits to neutral status and cedes its claims to all five former Ukrainian regions that chose to join Russia, including Crimea. All of these terms along with several others should be recognized at the international level and followed by the removal of Western sanctions on Russia, the president said.
Both Kiev and NATO dismissed the offer. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who previously insisted on the withdrawal of Russian troops to the 1991 Ukrainian borders as a precondition for peace talks, called Putin’s overture an “ultimatum.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Naryshkin signaled that Kiev would be better off accepting Putin’s offer now.
“The next terms under which a cease-fire can be achieved and some kind of peace agreement signed will be tougher with regard to Ukraine,” he warned.
A similar warning was earlier voiced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Commenting on Putin’s reaction to Kiev’s refusal to accept his latest offer, he said the Russian president considered it “quite predictable,” but noted that “even in the Kiev regime, there will be people who will start weighing whether it’s worth to wait for the terms to worsen even further.”
Speaking to reporters at the Swiss-hosted ‘peace conference’ on Sunday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Kiev is largely prepared to negotiate with Russia, but only when it is at its “strongest” bargaining position.
Russia was not invited to the Swiss-hosted event, describing it as meaningless due to its exclusive focus on Kiev’s demands. Out of 92 countries attending the talks, 78 signed its final communique, while some others argued that no meaningful progress with regard to finding a peaceful solution to the conflict could come without Russia’s participation.