Stoltenberg on Putin's 'peace proposals': It's not up to Ukraine to withdraw its forces, it's Russia that must withdraw from occupied Ukrainian territory
Putin's statement that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the territory of four Ukrainian regions and Kyiv must declare that there are no plans to join NATO is not a proposal not for peace, but for even greater aggression, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.
"It's not for Ukraine to withdraw forces from Ukrainian territory. It's for Russia to withdraw their forces from occupied Ukrainian land," he said, answering a question from an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent at a press conference following a meeting NATO Defense Ministers in Brussels on Friday.
According to the Secretary General, "this is a proposal of more aggression, more occupation. And it demonstrates in a way that Russia's aim is to control Ukraine and that has been the purpose of Russia since the beginning of this war. And that's a blatant violation of international law and that's also the reason why NATO Allies continue to support Ukraine."