Putin stated that the treaty was signed in 2022 when Turkey held a series of negotiations meant to develop trust between the two countries. The treaty was allegedly signed by the negotiation group of Ukraine and its Russian counterpart.
"It was called Treaty of permanent neutrality and security guarantees of Ukraine," Putin said, waving the purported treaty in the air. "We never agreed with the Ukrainian side that the text will be confidential but we never showed it before nor commented on it."
"This draft of the treaty was initialled by the leader of the negotiation group from Kyiv. He put his signature. There it exists.”
The treaty apparently suggested that Russia would withdraw its troops from Kyiv, but that it would keep a specific number of troops in other parts of Ukraine. However, Ukraine went back on the treaty immediately after Russia agreed to the terms.
Putin asked, “Where are the guarantees that they will not renounce any other agreements in the future?”
The meeting took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg on June 17, which included leads from the Comoro Islands, Congo Republic, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. The visit comes shortly after the African leaders made a trip to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The visit had been planned for over a month, as there have been widespread efforts to bring about a peace deal in Eastern Europe. Potential peace in the area is crucial for African countries, as many rely heavily on food and fertilizer from both nations.
