Russian President Vladimir Putin Proposes Placing Ukraine Under External Administration Under UN Supervision

Russian President Vladimir Putin Proposes Placing Ukraine Under External Administration Under UN Supervision

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed on Friday that Ukraine be placed under external administration for a period of time as part of efforts to establish peace. His comments reflect the Russian leader’s firm determination to achieve his war goals.

In a televised speech, Putin reiterated his claim that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term ended last year, is not authorized to sign a peace agreement. According to Ukraine’s constitution, holding national elections during wartime is illegal.

Putin said, "Any agreement signed by the current Ukrainian government could be challenged by their successors, and new elections could be held under external administration."

He further added, "Under the supervision of the United Nations, with the support of the United States, and even European countries, as well as our friends and allies, we can discuss the possibility of establishing a temporary governance system in Ukraine." He continued, saying that this would allow Ukraine to "conduct democratic elections, form a government trusted by the people, and begin peace talks with them."

However, Putin referred to this external governance system as "an option" but did not provide further details.

In response to these remarks, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhy wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "A temporary UN governance system should be implemented in Russia so that locals can benefit from any governance outside of Putin's, who is spending billions of dollars on his criminal war against Ukraine."

Putin’s Remarks and Peace Talks

These comments from Putin came after a summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, where discussions were held about sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine to establish peace. Macron stated, "Many countries want to join France and Britain in this peacekeeping mission." However, Russia has warned that it will not accept troops from NATO member states.

Ukrainian President Zelensky welcomed the summit's outcome, saying, "Europe undoubtedly knows how to defend itself, and we are working together to ensure greater security for our country and all European nations."

The situation on the ground remains tense. Russia launched 163 drone attacks on Ukraine, of which 89 drones were destroyed and 51 drones were jammed. Several residential buildings were damaged, and a 19-year-old was injured in the city of Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine’s state gas company Naftogaz was also targeted in the Russian attacks.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military has denied Russia’s claims, stating that they only targeted Russian military sites and are adhering to Ukraine’s peacekeeping agreements.

Although Ukraine proposed a full 30-day ceasefire, Putin conditioned the ceasefire on the cessation of arms supplies and the suspension of Ukraine's military mobilization.