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Russia's Peace Proposal Outlined by Putin 'Must be Applauded,' South African Expert Says

Earlier in the day, Putin held a meeting with the leadership of the country's foreign ministry, during which he voiced Russia's conditions for peace in Ukraine.
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Russia's peace proposal outlined by the country's President Vladimir Putin "must be applauded." It starts "a conversation about how to end the war," Prof. Ntsikelelo Breakfast, senior lecturer at South Africa's Nelson Mandela University, told Sputnik Africa.
"Russia realizes that it has conveyed a message to Ukraine and also to NATO because they were trying to pose a threat to Russia by having military bases next to Russia, which was perceived to be an insecurity. So I think that is the rationale behind the proposal to cease fire, the proposal that is put forward by Russia," he said.
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Breakfast also pointed out that some African leaders will support the initiative. However, he noted that it's unlikely "the proposal will be embraced without any critique, in terms of some gaps that exist in it."
"All foreign policies are driven by national interests, and that goes to Russia and other Western countries. [...] Russia has been trying to defend its territorial integrity because of what it perceives to be a threat. At the end of the day, what is important is to strike a balance and compromise if the negotiations will be welcomed by Ukraine," he stressed.
According to Russia's peace proposal, Russia requires that Ukraine maintain a neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status in order to achieve a peaceful resolution.
Earlier, the presidential office of Ukraine dismissed the peace initiative voiced by Putin. Russian Foreign Ministry's Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that by rejecting Putin's peace proposal, Kiev wants to deprive the Ukrainian people of a real chance for peace.