Defending the importance of the “initiative of civil society organisations in the international space”, Vladimir Putin admitted having accepted suggestions from the Shanghai group to reach a solution in Ukraine.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed his willingness to take into account proposals from member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
“We thank the SCO members for their proposal to resolve this conflict. Russia is certainly willing to take your ideas and initiatives into account.”Putin said during the summit of the organization, which took place in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.
Putin said that “in the current conditions, when the world is undergoing rapid and irreversible changes, the active position and initiative of civil society organizations in the international space is necessary.”
Founded in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a political, economic and security alliance comprising China, Kazakhstan, India, Iran, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Belarus, Russia’s ally in the war against Ukraine, was admitted as a full member of the SCO on Thursday.
The Shanghai group claims to represent 40% of the world’s population and around 30% of global gross domestic product (GDP)..
The ongoing war in Ukraine was triggered by Russia’s invasion of the neighboring country in February 2022.
Putin reiterated at the Astana summit that the war is “the result of the absolutely rude policy of the United States and its satellites.”
He also mentioned that Russia “has always defended and defends a political-diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine” and that “repeatedly presented concrete proposals” on the subject.
“I recall that in mid-June another variant of a solution was presented which, if it had been approved by the Ukrainian side and, above all, by its Western supporters, would have allowed for an immediate cessation of military actions, saving lives and starting negotiations,” he added.
The plan Putin referred to was revealed at the Ukraine Peace Summit, held without Russia’s participation in mid-June in Switzerland.
Moscow has demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the annexed regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.kyiv’s withdrawal from NATO membership and the end of Western sanctions.
In return, Putin promised to order an immediate ceasefire and the start of peace talks.
These conditions were rejected not only by kyiv, but also by the West, which reiterated its support for Ukraine.
kyiv is demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from the four regions annexed since February 2022, as well as from Crimea, which Russia has occupied since 2014, as a precondition for any peace negotiations.
Source: Observadora
