Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on the 14th (local time) that if Ukraine withdraws its troops from Russian-occupied territories and abandons its bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Russia would cease hostilities and engage in dialogue.
According to TASS news agency, President Putin delivered a speech at a meeting of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day, presenting conditions for negotiations by saying, "I am willing to sit at the negotiating table with Ukraine even tomorrow."
He said negotiations could begin if Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions in eastern and southeastern Ukraine, which Russia claims as 'new territories.' These areas constitute about 18% of Ukraine's total territory.
He added that the safe withdrawal of Ukrainian troops would be guaranteed.
He emphasized that the Ukraine peace conference to be held in Switzerland on the 15th, which Russia is not participating in, is merely a deception, and that resolving the conflict without Russia's involvement and open dialogue is impossible.
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