Zelenskiy Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Ultimatum

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's ceasefire offer as an untrustworthy ultimatum. Zelenskiy believes that even if Ukraine met Putin’s demands, such as dropping its NATO ambitions and ceding four provinces, the military offensive would not cease, comparing it to Hitler's expansionist tactics.

The ceasefire offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin is an ultimatum which cannot be trusted, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday.

Putin said in a speech earlier in the day that Russia would end the war in Ukraine if Kyiv agreed to drop its NATO ambitions and hand over the entirety of four provinces claimed by Moscow. Speaking to Italy's SkyTG24 news channel on the sidelines of a G7 summit, Zelenskiy said he believed Putin would not stop his military offensive even if his ceasefire demands were met.

"These are ultimatum messages that are no different from messages from the past," the Ukrainian leader said in remarks translated and aired in Italian via an interpreter. "He will not stop", Zelenskiy said about Putin, making a parallel with German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's expansionist drive before the outbreak of World War II.

"It is the same thing that Hitler used to do (...) This is why we should not trust these messages," Zelenskiy added.