Putin demands the capitulation of kyiv, Zelensky denounces a “Hitler”-style ultimatum | War in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin de facto set a capitulation of Ukraine on Friday as a condition for talks, his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky immediately rejecting a “Hitler”-style “ultimatum”, on the eve of a summit in Switzerland devoted to means of achieving peace and from which Russia is excluded.

Ukraine, the United States andNATO immediately rejected these conditions from the master of the Kremlin.

These messages are ultimatum messages […] Hitler did the same thing when he said ‘give me part of Czechoslovakia and we’ll leave it at that’, but no, those are lies.

Volodymyr Zelensky made this statement during an interview with the Italian news channel SkyTG24.

The Russian president, whose army has for several months regained the initiative on the front against Ukrainian forces lacking men and ammunition, demanded in front of the executives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that kyiv renounce joining the ‘NATO and withdraws from the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia which Russia already partially occupies and claims to annex in addition to Crimea.

As soon as kyiv […] will begin the effective withdrawal of troops and will notify the abandonment of its plan to join theNATOwe will immediately, this very minute, give the order to cease fire and begin negotiations

Fulfilling these conditions would constitute a de facto surrender of Ukraine, the objective of which is to restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty within internationally recognized borders.

Although the Russian army has the initiative on the front, it has suffered considerable losses there for two years and is unable to gain a decisive advantage.

The Kremlin proclaimed in September 2022 the annexation of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, in addition to that of Crimea in 2014.

Vladimir Putin insisted on Friday that Ukraine must hand over all of these territories to Russia, even though Moscow only partially occupies them and fighting is still raging there.

The Russian president also denigrated the peace summit, from which Russia was excluded, planned in Switzerland for June 15 and 16 at the initiative of Ukraine. kyiv hopes that the approximately 90 delegations present, despite the absence of China in particular, will reach a consensus to increase pressure on the Kremlin.

Mr. Putin denounced a ploy to distract everyone’s attention real responsibilities in the conflict, namely, in his reading, those of Ukraine and the West.

Mykhaïlo Podoliak, advisor to the Ukrainian presidency, insisted that Russian demands were clash with common sense and constitute an offense against international law.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced manipulative statements and estimated that Vladimir Putin had made these remarks on the eve of the summit in Switzerland, because Russia is afraid of real peace.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, whose country is kyiv’s main military and financial backer, said Mr Putin was not not in a position to dictate to Ukraine what it must do to achieve peace.

Finally, the secretary general of theNATO Jens Stoltenberg estimated that the Russian leader was not acting sincerity.

The head of Russian diplomacy went there with his pique, saying that those who have ears will hear (Putin) and those with brains will understand it.

But I’m not sure if these organs in the human body are working properly in the West, Sergei Lavrov said on Russian television.

Vladimir Putin also denounced Thursday’s decision by the G7 to guarantee a $50 billion loan to Ukraine with future interest on Russian assets frozen since the start of the Russian offensive.

Even if we embellish things, theft is still theft, and it will not go unpunishedhe said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the pure and simple confiscation of the 300 billion euros in assets of the Russian central bank frozen by the West for two years, which they refuse for legal reasons.

On the ground, Ukrainian forces continue to resist multiple assaults, particularly in the east of the country, where Moscow has been gaining ground since the start of the year.

Almost daily, we repel two or three attackssaid this week to theAFP Maxime, commander of a company of tankers in the 59th brigade fighting in the Pokrovsk zone.

There was a marked increase in the number of enemy troops and they brought in armored vehicles as well as long-range artilleryadded this 38-year-old soldier.

Finally, Ukraine continues to be forced to ration electricity, its energy infrastructure having been ravaged by Russian strikes. On Friday, outages are planned from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. across the country.