Putin sends Ukraine brutal 9-word ultimatum as hopes for peace fade | World | News
As territorial and security issues continue to dominate peace negotiations, Vladimir Putin has issued an uncompromising ultimatum to Ukraine. US and Ukrainian officials have been locked in intense talks for months as Washington tries to reach an agreement between the two countries.
Russia is demanding that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Donbass, where the Kremlin army continues to make increasing advances at the cost of significant casualties. After almost four years of bitter and grueling conflict, Ukraine still controls about 25% of Donetsk, one of the two provinces that make up Donbas. Volodymyr Zelensky insists that Kiev will not withdraw its troops from the region, which angers Putin.
Ukraine’s president said on Monday that his country would not recognize Donbas as “de jure or de facto” Russian.
Zelensky’s refusal to bow to Russia’s demands sparked an angry response from the Kremlin tyrant on Tuesday.
At his annual meeting with the Ministry of Defense, Putin said: “The goals of the special military operation will be achieved unconditionally.”
He issued an ominous warning that if Ukraine did not seek “a substantive discussion” on the issue, “Russia would liberate its historic battlefield territories.”
The Kremlin is unlikely to budge on any of its strict territorial demands. Russia illegally annexed five regions of Ukraine (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as Crimea).
Kremlin Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told ABC news channel on Monday that Russia had “five [regions] completely” in Ukraine.
His words indicate that Russia has no intention of freezing the conflict on the current frontline and intends to take full control of all the territories it claims.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov similarly reiterated on Tuesday that Russia wants to “end this war” but is trying to achieve its goals.
Analysts at the US think tank Institute for the Study of War believe these goals include decapitating and replacing the Ukrainian government, destroying the Ukrainian military, and undermining the unity of the West.
Peskov also rejected the idea of a Christmas ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and supported by the United States.
