Moscow [Russia], December 27: Russian President Vladimir Putin recently revealed that during a meeting in Geneva in 2021, US President Joe Biden proposed postponing Ukraine's accession to NATO.
President Putin held a press conference on December 26 after a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC) in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. When asked about rumors in the US about a proposal to freeze the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Putin said that such talks were nothing new, according to RT.
"I know that President Biden has already talked about this, it's no secret, in 2021. He proposed exactly this to me, to postpone Ukraine's accession to NATO for 10-15 years, because [Kyiv] is not ready yet," Putin said. Putin met with Biden in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16, 2021, according to Reuters.
Kyiv's accession to NATO is unacceptable for Moscow "whether in one year or 10 years", according to Mr Putin.
Mr Putin also denied reports that the US was planning to propose a "freeze" of the Russia-Ukraine conflict along the current frontline in exchange for a delay in allowing Ukraine to join NATO.
"We are also working to end the conflict," Putin told reporters, stressing that this should happen by achieving all of Moscow's military and political goals, according to RT. He expressed confidence that Moscow would win the conflict with Ukraine.
There is currently no information about the reaction of the US or Ukraine to Mr. Putin's above statement.
Russia shot down Ukraine's F-16?
Vladimir Rogov, co-chair of the Russian Coordination Council for the Integration of New Regions, confirmed on December 26 that one of the F-16 fighter jets donated by NATO to Ukraine was shot down while trying to launch a missile into a Russian-controlled area in the southern Ukrainian province of Zaporizhzhia.
"The F-16 was in a position to launch missiles at the area and was shot down," Rogov wrote on the Telegram messaging app, according to RT. This information could not be verified, and Ukraine has not yet responded.
Several F-16s were reportedly used against Russian missiles in August, but one crashed. A Ukrainian MP later revealed that the F-16 was shot down by a Patriot missile battery, also supplied by NATO, according to RT.
Several NATO member countries delivered "a small number" of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in July.
Russian private company Fores has offered a reward of 15 million rubles ($170,000) to anyone who shoots down the first Ukrainian F-16, according to RT.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
