Russian President Vladimir Putin promised on Friday to issue an "immediate" order to cease fire in Ukraine and start negotiations if Kyiv begins withdrawing its forces from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and abandons its NATO membership plans. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected what he described as Putin's last ultimatum to surrender more territory.

Putin's remarks came as Switzerland prepared to host dozens of world leaders - but not from Moscow - this weekend in an attempt to outline the first steps towards peace in Ukraine.

They coincided with a meeting of leaders from the Group of Seven Industrialized Nations in Italy, and after the United States and Ukraine also signed a 10-year security agreement this week, which was condemned by Russian officials, including Putin, describing it as "null and void."

Putin criticized the Swiss conference, describing it as "just another trick to distract everyone and reverse the cause and effect of the Ukrainian crisis and put the discussion on the wrong path."

His demands came in a speech delivered at the Russian Foreign Ministry aimed at what he called a "final solution" to the conflict, rather than "freezing" it, stressing that the Kremlin is "ready to start negotiations without delay."

Among the broader peace demands mentioned by Putin are Ukraine's recognition of Crimea as part of Russia, maintaining the country's non-nuclear status, restricting its military power, and protecting the interests of Russian-speaking populations. Putin stated that all these matters should be part of "fundamental international agreements," and all Western sanctions imposed on Russia should be lifted.

He added, "We urge to close this tragic chapter of history and start restoring unity between Russia and Ukraine and Europe in general step by step."

Putin's statements, made in front of a group of foreign ministry officials and some senior legislators, represented a rare occasion where he clearly outlined his conditions for ending the war in Ukraine, although it did not include any new demands. The Kremlin had previously stated that Kyiv must recognize its territorial gains and abandon its NATO membership efforts.

Zelensky, present in Italy for the G7 meeting, said that Putin's proposal is not new and was in the form of an "ultimatum," comparing it to Adolf Hitler's actions in seizing territories that led to World War II.

What Putin is asking for is to give them part of our territory, occupied and unoccupied, in reference to several regions in our country.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry described Putin's plan as "manipulative" and "ridiculous," designed "to mislead the international community, undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just peace, and divide the unity of the global majority around the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter."

In addition to seeking NATO membership, Ukraine wants the withdrawal of Russian forces from its territory, including the illegally annexed Crimea in 2014; restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity; accountability for war crimes by Russia; and for Moscow to provide compensation to Kyiv.

Russia launched a large-scale invasion in February 2022. After Ukrainian forces thwarted a Russian attack on the capital, much of the fighting has concentrated in the south and east, where Moscow illegally annexed four regions, despite not fully controlling any of them.

Zelensky's adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, stated on social media that there is nothing new from Putin, and that the Russian leader "has simply expressed the 'traditional aggressor style', which has already been heard several times."

Podolyak wrote on X: "There is nothing new in this, no real peace proposals, and no desire to end the war. But there is a desire not to pay the price for this war and to continue it in new forms; this is a complete deception."

For his part, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated at NATO headquarters in Brussels that Putin "has illegally occupied Ukrainian sovereign territory. He is not in a position to dictate to Ukraine what they should do to achieve peace."

Austin added that Putin "started this war without any provocation. He can end it today if he chooses to do so."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg added that "this is not a peace proposal. It is a proposal for further aggression and more occupation, and it somehow shows that Russia's goal is to take control of Ukraine."

Putin insisted on the necessity for Kyiv to fully withdraw from the four regions it annexed and to effectively concede them to Moscow within its administrative borders. In Zaporizhia in the southeast, Russia still does not control the administrative capital of the region, which had a pre-war population of about 700,000; and in the neighboring Kherson region, Moscow withdrew from its largest city and its capital, which bears the same name, in November 2022.

Putin stated that if "Kyiv and the Western capitals" refuse his offer, "that is their concern, their political and moral responsibility for continuing the bloodshed."

The Kremlin has repeatedly expressed its readiness to engage in peace talks with Kyiv and has blamed the West for undermining its efforts to end the conflict.

Putin went further on Friday and claimed that his forces never intended to storm the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, despite approaching the city.

He added, "Essentially, it was only a process to force the Ukrainian regime to peace. The forces were there to push the Ukrainian side to negotiate and try to find an acceptable solution."

Moscow withdrew from Kyiv in March 2022, describing it as a goodwill gesture as peace talks between the two countries began, but the withdrawal took place amid fierce Ukrainian resistance that significantly slowed Russia's progress on the battlefield.

Putin also claimed that in the same month, he told a foreign official that he did not rule out withdrawing forces from the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia and conceding the occupied parts back to Ukraine, as long as Kyiv allows Russia to obtain "strong land" and "connection" to Crimea.

He added that the official intends to present this proposal to Kyiv, which Moscow "welcomed," and that Moscow generally welcomed "attempts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict." However, the Kremlin later annexed the two regions, along with the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, citing the results of fake "referendums" held there. Putin mentioned those matters and said, "The matter is closed forever and is no longer up for discussion."

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian defenses shot down 87 Ukrainian drones during the fighting on Friday, most of which were launched against the Rostov region, the headquarters of Russia's southern military command, but no casualties or damage were reported in one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks during the war.

In the Russian Belgorod region on the border, part of a residential building in the town of Shebekino collapsed following Ukrainian shelling, according to Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. He added that three people were injured.

The Ukrainian army has been in a defensive position in recent months, as Kremlin forces have outnumbered its troops and are suffering from ammunition and weapon shortages due to delays in promised Western military assistance.

Russia has been bombing Ukraine with drones, particularly its electricity network. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that it launched 14 missiles and 17 Shahed drones overnight. It added that air defense systems shot down all the drones along with seven missiles.

Officials reported that the attacks resulted in injuries to six people in the Donetsk region, where residential buildings were shelled.

A Russian drone struck a bus near the village of Esman in the northern Sumy region, injuring three women. Authorities say there were 20 passengers on the bus at the time.

Kyiv also stated that on Friday, Russia returned the bodies of 254 of its soldiers to Ukraine. Once the bodies are identified, they will be returned to their relatives, according to the Ukrainian coordination headquarters for handling prisoners of war.