Putin says Russia ready to listen to SCO advice on Ukraine peace

Russia is willing to consider proposals from SCO member states on resolving the conflict in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday (July 4, 2024) during a speech at the SCO summit in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

“We thank the SCO member states for their proposals to resolve this conflict. There is no doubt that Russia is ready to consider your ideas and initiatives,” he said.

The Russian president stressed that “in the current situation, when the world is undergoing rapid and irreversible changes, an active position and initiative of civil society organizations in the international space are necessary.” The Russian president also announced that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional grouping of Russia, China and other countries that have tense relations with Western powers, will advocate for the creation of a “fair multipolar world order” at today’s Astana summit.

Putin stressed that “Russia has always advocated and advocated for a political and diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine, a crisis that was triggered by the absolutely rude policies of the United States and its satellites.”

“We have made specific proposals in this regard several times. As I recall, in mid-June an alternative solution was proposed, which, if approved by the Ukrainian side and, most importantly, by the Western sponsors, would allow for an immediate cessation of war actions, saving lives and the start of negotiations,” he added.

Ahead of a summit on Ukraine in Switzerland in mid-June, the Russian leader demanded that Ukrainian troops withdraw from the annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, that Kiev renounce its membership in NATO and end Western sanctions, in exchange for ordering an immediate ceasefire and starting peace talks.

These conditions were rejected not only by Kiev but also by the West, which reiterated its support for the Ukrainian cause.