Putin's latest ultimatum cancelled out all his talk of “peace” - Zelenskyy

He said this during a press conference following the second day of the Global Peace Summit on June 16.

Zelenskyy stated that Russia and its leadership are not seeking real peace. The president referred to Putin's recent demands for a ceasefire with Ukraine.

"It's a serious error for someone to suggest that Ukraine should withdraw territories that we control legally," the president noted.

According to Zelenskyy, these statements were just a provocation meant to show that Russia doesn't intend to stop the war but aims to keep seizing territory.

"This is a significant mistake, and it's actually beneficial for Ukraine. Russians messages serve our purpose. Everyone behind the scenes agreed that Putin's statement conveyed to the world that all his previous talk about genuinely wanting to end the war now counts for nothing," Zelenskyy emphasized. 

He noted that even countries with prior pro-Russian stances now shared this view.

• Following the second plenary session of the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 16, a joint communiqué was signed by 80 participating countries and 4 international organizations.
• On June 14, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian military should withdraw from the occupied territories in order to negotiate with Russia. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry responded.