Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that an African plan may serve as a foundation for peace in Ukraine, but that Ukrainian attacks made it difficult to implement.
He was speaking at a press conference after meeting with African leaders in St. Petersburg on Friday and hearing their requests for Moscow to proceed with their plan.
“There are provisions of this peace initiative that are being implemented,” he explained. “But there are some things that are difficult or impossible to implement.”
According to Reuters, African mediation in the crisis might start with confidence-building measures, followed by a cease-fire agreement accompanied by negotiations between Russia and the West.
Putin stated that a ceasefire was one of the initiative’s goals. “However, the Ukrainian army is on the offensive, attacking, and launching a large-scale strategic offensive operation… When we are under attack, we cannot stop firing.”
On the question of peace talks, he stated, “We did not reject them… There must be agreement on all sides for this process to begin.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected the concept of a ceasefire today, which would give Russia control of nearly a fifth of his country and allow its soldiers to recover after 17 months of conflict.
