Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that Russia offered Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the southeast back in 2022, and the war would have ended immediately. According to him, Russian troops withdrew from Kyiv in 2022 due to persistent calls from Western European leaders, and then Ukraine decided that it would continue to fight. Putin stated this during a briefing following his visit to China, as reported by UNN.
Details
"Back in 2022, we offered the Ukrainian authorities to respect the choice of those people living in southeastern Ukraine, to withdraw their troops from there and end this conflict immediately. And, I must say, in general, this did not cause complete rejection. But after we, at the persistent calls of our Western European colleagues, withdrew troops from Kyiv, the situation immediately changed, and we were told, almost verbatim, 'now we will fight until you turn our heads off, or we turn yours off,'" Putin stated.
Recall
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants a meeting, he should come to Moscow. At the same time, Putin once again stated that Zelenskyy's powers have already expired, calling the Ukrainian President the "acting head of the administration" of Ukraine.