Putin's Demand From Ukraine 'Defies Basic Common Sense,' U.S. Says

The United States on Monday hailed last weekend’s Switzerland summit as a critical milestone on a path toward a just peace in Ukraine, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris joined Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and leaders and representatives from over 90 countries in Switzerland to discuss a principled framework for peace in Ukraine. 

"Participants reaffirmed their support for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. They discussed vital cooperation on global food security, nuclear safety, and catastrophic humanitarian impacts of the war," State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing.

Miller went on to add that in Moscow, Putin had a different message: another maximalist statement that called on Ukraine to surrender even more of its sovereign territory than what Russia currently occupies before negotiations could even begin. 

"President Putin demanded Ukraine agree to disarm so that it is vulnerable to future aggression from Russia.  No responsible nation can say that this is a reasonable basis for peace.  It defies the UN Charter.  It defies basic morality.  It defies basic common sense," the spokesperson said.

Miller added:  "It is clear Russia is unprepared for any serious, good-faith discussions.  Russia’s actions make this especially clear as it continues its bombing campaigns against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, threatens ships in the Black Sea, and forcibly relocates tens of thousands of Ukrainian children."

As for the U.S, Miller said, they commit to work jointly towards peace as Ukraine did through this weekend’s summit.  "We will continue to work with Ukraine, its partners, and the global community to establish the conditions for a truly just and therefore lasting peace."

When asked by TURAN's correspondent about some of the participant countries, such as Brazil, Saudi Arabia and others, which did not sign the summit's final communique, Miller refrained from offering any criticism, saying that "every country has to speak for itself and every country has to decide for itself."

"But if you look at the support that Ukraine got, you had over 90 countries that attended this peace summit.  You had over 80 countries and international organizations that signed on to the final communique.  We think both of those numbers represent a very significant show of support for Ukraine, and for not just peace but a just and lasting peace, something that we have always made clear is important," the spokesperson said.

"And we welcome the support from dozens and dozens of other countries around the world in that regard," he concluded.