Putin sets out ceasefire plans, with condition that Kyiv must withdraw troops and drop NATO bid

The Russian president's demands came a day before world leaders meet in Switzerland to discuss a possible path to peace in Ukraine, as ITV News US Producer Sarika Gandhi reports

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to “immediately” order a ceasefire in Ukraine if Kyiv pulled troops from regions annexed by Moscow and withdrew its bid for NATO membership.

In a speech at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Friday, Putin said Russia would order a ceasefire "immediately".

Putin said his proposal is aimed at a “final resolution” of the war in Ukraine rather than “freezing it," and stressed that the Kremlin is “ready to start negotiations without delay.”

“We're urging to turn this tragic page of history and to begin restoring, step-by-step, restore the unity between Russia and Ukraine and in Europe in general,” he said.

Ukraine dismissed Putin's proposal as "a sham".

The Kremlin has said before that Kyiv should recognise its territorial gains - Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions - and drop its bid to join NATO.

The proposal has been dismissed by Ukraine, which hopes to join the military alliance and continues to order Russia retreat from its territory.

Putin’s remarks represented a rare occasion in which he clearly laid out his conditions for ending the war in Ukraine, but his speech didn’t include any new demands.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on social media that there was nothing new in Putin's proposal and that the Russian leader “voiced only the ‘standard aggressor’s set,’ which has been heard many times already.”

“There is no novelty in this, no real peace proposals and no desire to end the war. But there is a desire not to pay for this war and to continue it in new formats. It’s all a complete sham,” Podolyak posted on X.

It comes as Zelenskyy attended a summit with leaders of the G7 nations in Italy, where he received a loan funded by frozen Russian assets. The president also signed security deals with the US and Japan.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…