No unconditional ceasefire: Putin again pushes for his Ukraine peace terms

Moscow (Ukraine): Amid efforts to establish peace in Ukraine, Russia has reiterated some of its conditions. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a recent statement that a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine can only be reached if Ukraine withdraws its troops.

According to Russian media, President Putin arrived in Kyrgyzstan for the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a regional alliance that brings together some of the post-Soviet countries.

The Russian president said, "A ceasefire can only happen if Ukraine withdraws its troops from the Russian territories it claims. We are still receiving calls from here and there to end the war. Ukrainian troops will withdraw from the territories they occupy, and then the fighting will end. If they don't, we will do so by military means."

According to the news agency Xinhua, the Russian president said at a press conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Thursday, "It would be impolite for me to talk about any last resort right now, because there are no alternatives, but some things are basic." Trump's special envoy, Steve Wittock, was sent to Moscow on Trump's orders to meet with Russian President Putin. The Russian president's statement came after Wittock's meeting with Putin.

From the beginning, there were claims that Trump's peace plan was more in favor of Russia. Russia had previously cleared up doubts about this with its own statements. Putin said, "The American side has taken Russia into account to some extent. We need to sit down and seriously discuss certain issues."

"We need to put everything in diplomatic terms because Russia is not planning to attack Europe. Frankly, it sounds strange. We never had any intention of doing that," he said. Putin said the 28-point peace plan proposed by the US was communicated to the Russian side through the proper channels.

US President Donald Trump proposed a 28-point peace plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Representatives from the US, Ukraine, and several European countries gathered in Geneva on Sunday to discuss the proposal. After discussions with all countries, Trump's proposed peace plan was reduced from 28 to 19 points. However, this plan has not been made public.