Russia's Putin sets out conditions for peace talks with Ukraine

• Russian state news outlet Tass reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin demands the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, after which peace negotiations can begin.
• Putin added that Moscow was committed to ensuring the "unhindered and safe withdrawal" of Ukrainian forces if Kyiv agrees to such a concession.
• The Kremlin's conditions are unlikely to receive a warm reception in Kyiv, which has repeatedly stated that it will not concede territory to Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday set out the requirements for Moscow to start peace talks with Ukraine, more than two years after the Kremlin's full-fledged invasion of its neighbor.

According to a Google-translated Telegram update from Russian state news outlet Tass, the terms include the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which Russia illegally annexed within months of commencing hostilities, in September 2022.

The Kremlin's conditions are unlikely to receive a warm reception in Kyiv, which has repeatedly stated that it will not concede territory to Russia.

Putin said during a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Foreign Ministry that as long as Ukraine begins a "real withdrawal of troops from these regions, and will also officially notify of the abandonment of plans to join NATO — on our part, immediately, at the same minute, an order will follow to cease fire and begin negotiations," according to Google-translated comments carried by Tass.

He said that Moscow was committed to ensuring the "unhindered and safe withdrawal" of Ukrainian forces if Kyiv agrees to such a concession.

If Kyiv and the West refuse