Former President Medvedev Says Kyiv Should Accept Russia's Peace Proposal Or Face Worse Things

Dmitry Medvedev. (Twitter/@MedvedevRussiaE)

JAKARTA - Ukraine should accept Russian President Vladimir Putin's peace proposal, otherwise Russian troops will continue to advance and make it more difficult for Kyiv.

"Frankly, I think the president has said everything, I mean the next peace proposal proposed by Russia would be worse for the Ukrainian authorities, no matter how we treat them," Medvedev said.

"Now they have the opportunity to consider Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin's peace proposal and at least try to make peace and end part of this conflict," continued the former Russian president.

Otherwise, according to Medvedev, the Russian attack will continue.

"And it will be difficult to say where is the buffer zone limit mentioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is entirely possible that all of this will not benefit the Ukrainian authorities at this time. So they must hurry as long as they can," he added.

However, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council said Kyiv had responded with a refusal at a conference in Switzerland, "rejecting all proposals from the start, bringing the discussion back to the start." "Sia-sia. So it would be worse from now on," he concluded.

As previously reported, President Putin last Friday said Russia was ready to stop fighting and hold peace negotiations, from Ukraine to stop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the four Ukrainian territories claimed by Moscow.

"The requirements are very simple," said President Putin, who named them the full withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entire Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions in Russia's eastern and southern Ukraine following the 2022 invasion.

"Once they state in Kyiv it is ready for the decision and begin the actual troop withdrawal from these areas, and also officially announce the cancellation of their plans to join NATO - on our part, immediately, literally in the same minute, orders will follow to stop firing and start negotiations," he said.

"I repeat, we will do it soon. Of course, we will simultaneously guarantee the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops and formations without a hitch and safe," he said.

Ukrainian side rejected the initiative. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky called Moscow's proposal an ultimatum. Meanwhile, his adviser Mikhail Podolyak said the new Russian initiative was suspected of not containing "the actual peace proposal."