Russian dictator Vladimir Putin turned down an offer that would have ended the war (Photo:Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool/Reuters)
Russian
dictator Vladimir Putin turned down an offer that would have ended
the war and postponed deliberations over the status of the Crimean
peninsula for seven years, independent Ukrainian news outlet
Ukrainska Pravda reported on Nov. 22,
citing a U.S. security official.
According to this source, unnamed nations involved in the peace negotiation process between Russian and Ukraine proposed that the Kremlin would return all of Ukraine’s occupied territories, save Crimea, which would be effectively ‘frozen’ under Russian occupation for seven years. Ukraine would also halt NATO integration for the same period, the source told UP.
Acceptance of the offer would mean the cessation of attacks on Ukraine’s power grid as a sign of ‘good will.’ However, the offer was not taken up, given that Putin launched a mass missile strike on Ukrainian energy and critical infrastructure at the end of the first day of the summit.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov denied UP’s report, simply offering a curt “No” to a question about these negotiations.
Ukrainian deputy presidential chief-of-staff, Ihor Zhovka, also commented that he had not heard of these proposals on national Ukrainian TV.
The G20 summit took place in Indonesia on Nov. 15-16. Putin was not in attendance, with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov representing the Russian dictator instead. However, Lavrov left at the end of the first day of the conference.
Russian conducted a mass missile and drone strike on Ukraine on Nov. 15, launching nearly 100 missiles at targets across the country – mostly connected to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
On Oct. 4, Zelenskyy signed a decree rejecting direct talks with Putin’s regime. Kyiv can negotiate only with a new Russian president, the presidential office announced.
Ukraine’s achievements at the negotiating table depend on strength on the battlefield, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Oct. 26.
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