from ZeroHedge:
Amid weeks of peace talks between the US and Russia focused on Ukraine, but which largely haven’t gotten anywhere (other than an energy ceasefire which quickly appeared to be broken), President Putin has presented a big-picture idea which could result in ceasefire.
The Russian leader on Friday proposed a “transitional administration” for Ukraine under the auspices of the UN. The immediate aim would be ceasefire leading toward “democratic” election, followed by the negotiation of a peace agreement with the new authorities.
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“We could, of course, discuss with the United States, even with European countries, and of course with our partners and friends, under the auspices of the UN, the possibility of establishing a transitional administration in Ukraine,” Putin said while visiting the northwestern Russian city of Murmansk.
He laid out that “we could discuss the possibility of introduction of temporary governance in Ukraine,” while Ukraine holds “democratic elections, to bring to power a capable government that enjoys the trust of the people.”
After this, he explained, the two warring sides would “start talks with them about a peace treaty.” Putin has in the recent past complained that Zelensky is ‘illegitimate’ and thus can’t legally be negotiated with, since he has canceled democratic elections on an indefinite basis.
As examples of where a temporary UN governance scheme has been implemented before, Putin held out “several cases of what is called external government,” in East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and parts of the former Yugoslavia.
But anonymous Trump admin officials quickly dismissed the idea, for example with NBC reporting that the White House has “dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that peace talks in Ukraine should depend on the country being governed by the United Nations while new elections are held.”
And Reuters has cited a White House national security spokesperson who dismissed Putin’s proposal, saying that “Ukraine’s government was determined by its constitution and citizens.”
The Ukrainian government did not immediately respond to Putin’s plan, but will no doubt reject it based on maintaining sovereignty, and given Zelensky has not relented on demands for a new election, nor has he ordered his forces to retreat.
