Russia calls for “complete end” to Ukraine war

The statement came after Putin met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow on Friday.

At a joint press conference following the meeting, Putin said there should be no “ceasefire or any kind of pause that the Kiev regime could use to make up for losses, regroup and rearm. Russia is for a complete and final end to the conflict.”

However, Putin pointed out that the conflict could only be ended if a number of conditions were met. In particular, the Russian president stressed that Kyiv must withdraw its troops from Donbass, as well as from the former Ukrainian regions of Zaporozhye and Kherson, all of which officially became part of Russia following referendums.

There are other conditions, Putin added, but stressed that these would be subject to “fairly detailed examination in the course of possible cooperation.”

Previously, Putin had proposed an immediate ceasefire on condition that Ukraine agrees to a number of conditions, including the aforementioned withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from all Russian territories and legally binding guarantees that Kyiv will not seek NATO membership.

Kyiv and its Western backers have rejected the plan, although Putin has said the offer is “on the table.” The Kremlin has urged Ukraine’s leaders to take time to think it over.

During the press conference on Friday, Orban pointed out that the positions of Moscow and Kyiv in this conflict are far apart and that considerable efforts are needed to end the fighting.

Putin said that given the attitude of the Ukrainian authorities and the current situation, it seems obvious that Kyiv is “still not ready to give up waging war until a victorious end.”

Putin said on Thursday that Russia would continue to work for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict, even though the crisis was caused by US actions.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that the decision to launch an offensive against Ukraine was motivated by the country’s ambitions to become part of NATO, as well as the ongoing war against the people of Donbass, who rejected the government in Kyiv that came to power after a Western-backed coup in 2014.

At the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Kazakh capital Astana, Putin said that Moscow had repeatedly put forward concrete proposals to resolve the Ukraine issue. He added, however, that these had been ignored or rejected by Kyiv and its supporters.

“Russia has always advocated and continues to advocate a peaceful political and diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine – a crisis that arose as a result of the absolutely unceremonious policy of the United States and its satellites,” the Russian president added.

He pointed out that Russia presented its latest plan last month and that, if accepted by Kyiv and its Western backers, it could end hostilities “immediately”, save countless lives and start negotiations.