Putin pledges a cease-fire in Ukraine if Kyiv withdraws from occupied regions and drops NATO bid
Moscow, Jun 14: Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Friday to “immediately” order a cease-fire in Ukraine and begin negotiations if Kyiv started withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounced plans to join NATO.
Such a deal appears a nonstarter for Kyiv, which wants to join the military alliance and has demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from all of its territory. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on Putin's proposal.
“We will do it immediately,” Putin said in a speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow.
His remarks came as leaders of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations met in Italy and as Switzerland prepared to host scores of world leaders -- but not from Moscow -- this weekend to try to map out first steps toward peace in Ukraine.
Putin said his proposal is aimed at a “final resolution” of the conflict in Ukraine rather than “freezing it," and stressed that the Kremlin is “ready to start negotiations without delay.”
Broader demands for peace that the Russian leader listed included Ukraine's non-nuclear status, restrictions on its military force and protecting the interests of the Russian-speaking population in the country. All of these should become part of “fundamental international agreements,” and all Western sanctions against Russia should be lifted, Putin said.
“We're urging to turn this tragic page of history and to begin restoring, step-by-step, restore the unity between Russia and Ukraine and in Europe in general,” he said.
Putin's remarks represented a rare occasion in which he clearly laid out his conditions for ending the war in Ukraine, but it didn't include any new demands. The Kremlin has said before that Kyiv should recognise its territorial gains and drop its bid to join NATO.
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Six pythons rescued from house in Karwar
Karwar: Six pythons were rescued from a residential premises in Katinakona area of Karwar on Sunday, causing panic among local residents.
The pythons were found amid construction material stocked on the house premises. Forest officials were alerted, following which Forest Guard Gopal Naika reached the spot and safely rescued the reptiles.
According to a report published by Deccan Herald, Naika said the pythons measured between 8 and 12 feet in length. All of them were later released into the forest.
“Initial days of summer is the mating season for snakes. It is natural for males of the species to come in search of females for mating. Hence, they are found in large number in one location,” Naika said.
