Defense Secretary Austin Declares That Russia Cannot Set Terms for Ukraine Peace

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that Russia can not dictate the conditions for peace in Ukraine.

During a meeting that took place just ahead of the Summit on Peace for Ukraine in Switzerland, Putin laid out his conditions for ending the war in Ukraine, which included Ukraine giving up its territories — the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions and the abandonment of plans to join NATO.

“He is not in any position to dictate to Ukraine what they must do to bring about peace,” Austin told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

US Secretary of Defense reminded Putin that he could stop the war at any time by withdrawing his troops from the territory of Ukraine.

“He’s had some hundreds of thousands of troops wounded and killed in this unjust and unprovoked invasion. He could end this today if he chose to do that. And we call upon him to do that and to leave Ukrainian sovereign territory,” Austin said.