Russian President Vladimir Putin listed three conditions for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine during a call with his French colleague Emmanuel Macron on Monday, including acknowledgement of Russian authority over Crimea.
Putin informed Macron that Russia was "open to negotiations with representatives of Ukraine," as per the Kremlin's summary of the phone calls.
Putin, on the other hand, insisted that a deal could be reached “only if Russia's legitimate security interests were unconditionally taken into account,” which includes:
“the recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea the fulfillment of the tasks of demilitarizing and denazifying the Ukrainian state and ensuring its neutral status.”
Earlier, Putin warned that Russia will go to war with France if Ukraine joins NATO. According to Putin, a Ukrainian assault on Crimea might spark Article 5 of NATO’s founding agreement, drawing the whole of Europe into a war against Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin als...