Putin's "peace" plan was rejected by Ukraine and NATO. "This is a proposal of more aggression, more occupation"
Vladimir Putin proposed a "peace" offer to Ukraine on Friday, which required conceding a significant portion of territory. However, Kyiv firmly rejected the proposal, as did NATO. "This is a proposal of more aggression, more occupation," stated NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.
"Ukrainian troops must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. As soon as Kyiv says it is ready to do this and begins really withdrawing troops and officially renounces plans to join NATO, we will immediately — literally that very minute — cease-fire and begin talks," stated Vladimir Putin during a Friday meeting with the Russian Foreign Ministry's leadership.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, responded to Putin’s words when asked about his "proposal" during a press conference following the NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels. "This is a proposal that actually means that Russia should achieve their war aims, by expecting that Ukrainians should give up significantly more land than Russia has been able to occupy so far" he stated.
"This is a proposal of more aggression, more occupation and, and it demonstrates, in a way, that Russia's aim is to control Ukraine. And that's a blatant violation of international law and that's also the reason why NATO Allies continue to support Ukraine," he added.
NATO to play a bigger role in coordinating military aid for Ukraine
NATO will play a more significant role in coordinating military aid for Ukraine. This decision was made at the NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels, reported Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference.
"These efforts do not make NATO a party to the conflict, but they will enhance our support to Ukraine to uphold its right to self-defence," said Stoltenberg.
According to some media, this move is seen as taking over this duty from the USA to secure the aid mechanism in the event of Donald Trump's possible re-election as President. Trump is considered a politician sceptical of NATO.
