Russia's president Vladimir Putin's demands to annex several regions in Ukraine in order to agree to a ceasefire and peace negotiations are rejected by Kiev and Nato.
Putin cannot dictate terms to Ukraine, says USA's Defence Minister Lloyd Austin.
The reactions were immediate and sharp to Putin's statement in a speech to Russian diplomats. Putin claimed that the war would be over if Ukraine relinquished the regions controlled militarily by Russia and promised not to join the military alliance Nato.
"The whole thing is a complete bluff. So – once again – stop imagining things and stop taking 'Russia's proposals' seriously – they are insulting to common sense", replied Ukrainian presidential adviser Mychajlo Podoljak on social media.
Nato says no
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg is equally dismissive:
The proposal is not made in good faith, said Stoltenberg to reporters in Brussels.
The proposal means that Russia gets what it wanted through the war by Ukraine giving up much more land than Russia occupies today, continued Nato's Secretary-General.
USA's Defence Minister Austin shook his head at Putin's statement.
Putin has occupied, illegally occupied Ukraine's sovereign territory, said Lloyd Austin and stated that Putin cannot dictate terms.
Previous demands
The Russian president's statement was reminiscent of previous demands, albeit formulated slightly differently:
We call for turning this tragic page in history and start rebuilding, step by step, the unity between Russia and Ukraine and Europe in general.
The regions that Putin wants to conquer in connection with a peace are Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and the Crimean Peninsula. Apart from demanding that Ukraine does not seek Nato membership, Putin also demanded that sanctions against Russia be lifted.
