Putin will stop only if his demands are met.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke today with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where the topic was the Russian occupation of Ukraine and the possibility of resolving the crisis.
After an hour-long telephone conversation, the Turkish president’s office said Erdogan had told Putin that Turkey was ready to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, adding that a ceasefire would ease concerns about the humanitarian situation.
The Turkish president called on his Russian counterpart to declare a ceasefire in Ukraine, open humanitarian corridors and sign a peace agreement.
Putin told Erdogan the conditions under which he would do so, “Russia will stop its military operation only if Ukraine stops fighting and Moscow’s demands are met.”
Putin added that the operation in Ukraine is proceeding according to plan and that he hopes that the Ukrainian negotiators will have a more constructive approach to the talks and take into account the reality on the ground.