The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's demands for further territorial concessions as a prerequisite for peace, describing these as absurd and manipulative.
"Putin does not seek peace, he seeks to divide the world," the ministry said on Friday, referring to Putin's statements ahead of a Swiss peace summit planned for the weekend.
Putin is trying to present himself as a peacemaker for the war he triggered, the ministry said. "Russia's plans are not for peace, but for the continuation of the war, the occupation of Ukraine, the destruction of the Ukrainian people, and further aggression in Europe."
Earlier, Putin told the Russian Foreign Ministry that the fighting could end if Kiev abandons its aim to join NATO and remains neutral, and withdraws from the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya plus Crimea.
Russia has not yet been able to conquer Zaporizhzhya and was forced to withdraw from Kherson in autumn 2022.
"Ukraine never wanted this war, and like no other country in the world, Ukraine wants it to end," the Ukrainian ministry said.
However, in order to force Moscow to halt the war, an international coalition of states is needed to achieve a just peace based on the UN Charter and Ukrainian peace formula, the ministry said.
The first peace summit in Switzerland is needed to force Russia to abandon ultimatums and move on to sincere negotiations to end the war, the ministry's statement said.
